Mon Calamari/Dac

[Jidai Geki]

On Deton's one-hit 'kill' of the shuttle: the manoeuvre is legal, as the shuttle is an Imperial one and there is no rule against destroying your own property in one post. Deton did not post killing any of the PC's on board the shuttle, so the post stands.

[Darex Trevelian]

((OOC: Thanks, Geki.))

 

Darex made his way quickly through the troopers, sending a few waves of the Force to knock them unconcious, then grabbing one of their E-11's and pumping stun blasts into them. He wanted to find the captain.

 

Luckily, the captain was in the next room. Darex shouted over the noise as he dodged and reflected the bolts from the highly accurate stormtroopers. "Let my friends go! I don't want to fight you, and none of your men are seriously hurt. Our two factions are at peace! If you let them go, I will stay, and will cause no trouble for you."

 

But before the stormtrooper captain could make any kind of response, the ship jerked under the fire of multiple laser blasts, and the engines took on a dangerous whine. Not another crash...

 

They weren't far off the surface, so the ship came down fast. Everyone was thrown off their feet. At the last minute, Darex saw a large peice of girder rip free and be tossed towards the captain. Without thinking, he used the Force to reverse it's trajectory so that it wouldn't hit the trooper.

 

And then they were down with a horrible scraping and the smell of smoke and fumes. Aerec, are you alright?

 

Darex blinked through the smoke. The Force told him that the other men were alright. However, the assuring feeling didn't last long. Two thermal detonators rolled in to the area. Darex cursed. They didn't even care about their own men.

 

However, all life had value in the Force, and Darex knew what he had to do. The detonators blinked, and before they blew, Darex used the Force to send all five troopers in the room skidding behind an upturned durasteel something-or-other. He knew he wouldn't make it, but dashed as far as he could away.

 

When the dets blew, Darex fell into the Force. He absorbed as much of the energy as he possibly could, trying to contain the explosions. He could feel the deadly energy whipping at his skin, burning him. The pain was completely absent at the moment, though he knew it would hit him full force later.

 

The explosions died down, and the Jedi Master slumped unconcious to the floor of the shuttle, the stun blasts going uselessly over his head.

[ForceFusion]

Aerec hadn't been strapped to anything when the crash came. As he felt the ship give way to gravity after the massive concussions from without, he scrambled for something to hold onto.

 

But he didn't get a grip in time. The shuttle slammed into the ground, throwing him against the ceiling of the cockpit and bouncing off levers and walls. He had no idea what was happening to Darla, but that was the only thought that found its way to consciousness.

 

Everything was blurred with red, but he was still breathing, still awake. If he could've convinced his body to move, he would've looked for his friend and master. However, he felt himself simply desiring rest.

 

Darex's question in the Force caught his attention, but he didn't have the energy to answer. It turned out not to matter, for a pulse came through the Force and the air: an explosion. The fire of the blast didn't get to Aerec's position, but the force of it did. Again, he was slammed against walls, but this time there was no blurry vision to greet him upon his crumpled landing.

 

His unconscious body lay bleeding and bruised, yet still clinging to life. Thoughtless surrender.

[Vladimir Faust]

The Bhelliom pulls itself out of hyperspace near Mon Calamari and Faust immediately sends a hail for arrival, which quickly passes Imperial clearance.

 

Smiling like grim death, malice twinkling in his eyes, Faust makes the sublight approach towards the planet. Unlike at Coruscant, he makes no effort at hiding his Force signature, quietly projecting his presence down towards where communications told him the Jedi were, laughing maniacally the whole time.

 

Hello Darex. Hello Aerec. Hello Darla. A pity you did not accept my good faith offer before your foolish acts here. I would have offered you my protection. Now you are mine. Prepare yourself.

[SithAcolyte]

Darla was sure that they were going to be locked away... Or worse. Before she could register what was happening Darex was fighting to free them. She didn't think that she would be suddenly free again. Soon she found herself rushing around wth Aerec, stolen blaster rifle in hand.

It was at times like this that Darla wished she could still use the force.

 

Her mind was reeling. She couldn't believe what she had done. Darla had truly thought that she would never see Darex again. But it wasn't a simple goodbye gesture. It wasn't the way that someone would kiss a friend. It was deep and passionate, stirring feelings inside her that she had never known were there. If she had known they were there she had buried them deep. Perhaps they had been lost in the haze of death and rebirth.

 

It had been fine to act on impulse when she had nothing left to lose, but now she was very confused.

 

She had to focus on the battle at hand, not on her feelings. Even though she was distracted, Darla had managed to hold her own against the stormtroopers. But it didn't matter. The shuttle was hit and they were going down. Instinctively Darla had secured herself into the crash-webbing of the pilot seat. The force of the crash shook her violently, but she was unscathed.

 

Before Darla had a chance to untangle herself explosions began to rock the the ship. Her chair was wrenched free, crashing to the floor. She lay there relatively unharmed, but trapped.

 

That was when he arrived.

 

Her dormant Force senses ignited and filled her with the presence of the demon known as Faust.

[Vladimir Faust]

Faust brings his ship in lower, clearing the atmosphere and approaching the downed shuttle, checking in with both the command stationed at the shipyards and with the troopers deployed down below. He made a point not to take over command of this raid, admiring the commander's work, but instead to assist where needed. If nothing else, it was curiosity to see how events would play out. Besides, the troopers did a fine job already and anything else would come close to taking credit. Faust knew a few things about earning loyalty from an army and those under his command.

 

Setting his ship to hover about 10 meters over the downed shuttle, Faust gives a salute wave to the surrounding troopers, then turns back to the shuttle, mentally probiing. Two of the Jedi were alive, though at least unconscious if not in worse shape. One was alive... and.... Fearful? Angry? That had to be Darla. Grinning, he jumps down, pulling out a disruptor pistol and his cortosis laced Sith sword, firing a hole in the top of the shuttle.

 

The effect is rather spectacular in the shuttle itself. The ceiling rips way in a deafening explosion as its disintigrated. There is a flash of gleaming white, and with a loud, metallic crunch, Faust lands in front of Darla, his sword pointed downward, its point brushing the tip of her forehead, slicing away a stray hair.

 

"Hello, luv," Faust whispers, his eyes glittering, taking in first Darla, then the inert forms of Darex and Aerec. "It's been a while."

[Darex Trevelian]

Slowly, conciousness returned to Darex, and with it, a thousand bits of information all at once. He groaned, and reached into the Force to assess the damage to his body. He had some severe burns on his arms and torso from the thermals and the blaster bolts, and he was bleeding slowly from somewhere on his cheek, but in all, the damage wasn't that bad. He knew he had been thrown into a kind of healing trance when he was unconcious, and was glad that at least some of the damage had been lessened.

 

However, there were a thousand other things vying for his attention. He could not feel Aerec in the Force, and he hoped desperately that his padawan had only passed out, much like he had. However, he could feel Darla for the first time in a long time. Anger, hatred, and fear flowed mingled through her.

 

He sat upright. Faust was here. He sighed. Not good. He focused on gathering his strength; he certainly would need it now. The Force flowed through him, empowering him and washing away his weariness. Pushing aside the pain, he rose and headed towards the cockpit.

 

Sure enough, there was Vladimir Faust, his sword out and pointed in Darla's direction. He spoke, pushing away all his pain. "Ah, Faust. So this is your little playground then?"

[Vladimir Faust]

Faust's eyes gaze over to Darex, watching him rise up and approach. He immediately sends a quick cybermental comm to the troopers outside, breaking his earlier decision not to give orders.

 

Shoot into the ship and stun him. Bring him down, but take him and his padawan alive.

 

He also adds a word to make sure that they would not be able to get a comm offplanet. Too much was at stake.

 

That done his eyes narrow, focused on Darex, though he makes very, very sure not to take his eyes off Darla either, making a point to press the tip of his sword in to where it sends a trickle of blood down her forehead.

 

"Darex, old boy, I came here because of you," he announces, leveling his disruptor pistol at the Jedi Master . "I heard you ran into some trouble with the local troops and I came to... ah.... do my part..." Though he smiles, it never reaches his eyes. He hoped for some privacy and a little heart to heart with Darla alone. Darex's quick recovery was not part of the plan.

 

"Your options here are limited. You're responsible for the death of some stormtroopers, this shuttle, spying, and several other crimes. There's a half wing of TIEs outside, accompanying troops, communications are sealed. This is, sadly, your party with the Imperials and I'm just crashing." He shakes his disruptor minutely, pointing to the hole in the roof, though still keeping it leveled at Darex's chest, his fingers tight around the trigger.

 

"If you surrender, you have a chance to survive and save your friends here and abroad. If not the Imperials will take you and execute you publically. I just came from Coruscant where Onderin and Madam Darkfire are meeting the Emperor in his citadel. What do you think would happen to them if news broke about three Jedi spies being obtained here and now on Mon Calamari?"

 

At that, the grin finally reach's Faust's eyes.

[Darex Trevelian]

Darex sighed. "You must get tired of lying. Wouldn't it be nice to tell the truth now and then? Let's start, for example, with my 'crimes'. There are no stormtroopers dead--injured yes, but you should know better of a Jedi. The Imperials brought down their own shuttle, we're not spies, and I really don't know what other crimes you can pin on me."

 

He glanced at Darla quickly, but she seemed fine. For the moment. He turned his gaze back to Faust. "You know, it's really not polite of you to crash other people's parties." He sighed again. "Well, naturally, I surrender. But just as naturally, I must insist that you let Darla and Aerec go. They are no more guilty of crimes against the Empire than I am, or if possible, less so, as I was the one who brought them here."

 

Technically, it had been Aerec's idea, but Darex had proposed it as an option, and he claimed full responsibility. He raised his hands to his head in a gesture of surrender, knowing that he had no other choice, and, in all actuality, the Force was quiet and calm in his mind, and he had the satisfying feeling of, as strange as it was, being right where the Force willed him to be. How curious.

 

As he stood for a moment with his hands up, a stun blast came from one of the vigilant stormtroopers outside the shuttle and hit him square in the back. He crumpled without a sound.

[Vladimir Faust]

Faust's eyes tighten. He hadn't lied this time, surprisingly enough. As far as the Imperials knew or suspected, the Jedi were here for nefarious purposes, the Empire's people inside the shuttle were likely dead in the crash (though Faust could sense it wasn't entirely so).

 

"I'll have you know, that I am not lying, old boy. I will admit, I am relying what friends in the Empire told me an-" Before he could graciously accept Darex's surrender, he watches a blaster stunt bolt slam into him and drop him. Sighing, Faust's attention turn back to Darla, drawing the point if his blade down her cheek and to her throat, gliding against the skin, but not drawing blood. When he speaks, the tone is mocking, almost like a father addressing his wayward daughter.

 

"Now, Darla, sweetie, you have a lightsaber of mine. You know it: red, flashy, took it off your corpse at Ryloth? I know that Skye gave it back to you after she stole it from me on Yavin, so would you be a good girl and tell me where it is?" Faust presses the point up against her throat, once more drawing blood, holding his saber firmly in his right hand. The Hunter's hand and blade crackle with Force lightning at the hilt, which begins to inch down the blade, slowly approaching Darla's exposed throat...

[ForceFusion]

Aerec's crumpled form still did not stir physically. Had he complete control over his body, he would not have wanted to move it anyway. The fires never reached him, but the bruises and battery from the crash and following explosions left him riddled with internal bleeding.

 

The only sign of life from him was the slight heave of his chest, even that barely visible. After long minutes and a new disturbances in the Force, Aerec's consciousness began to flicker.

 

He found himself awake enough not to move, not to open his eyes, not to touch the Force, but only to feel. He felt two things: pain and Faust. Surprisingly similar.

[SithAcolyte]

Darla was living a nightmare. Bound by the chair 's crash webbing and unable to free herself from it because of the she had landed. At the mercy of a monster. A long-time nemesis who had once slain her. Without her Force powers and unable to fight him.

 

But was she without the Force? Although she hadn't been able to touch it snce her rebirth, she could feel it. It had happened several times before. Ignited by people who brought up strong emotions in her. Faust being one of them.

 

The Force was burning in her. Anger and fear fuelled it. Darla felt like she was gong to be sick but was filled with a strange elation. She felt alive. She felt a part of the Force.

 

Blood trickled down her forehead dripping into one of her eyes and blurring her vision. She could feel the blade against her throat. Could feel the crackle of energy being discharged and making it's way down to her.

 

"I dont have it!" She shouted. "The thought of all the innocent lives that you've taken with it was too much to bear. I left it with Skye. I'm not a Jedi anymore, I have no powers and I have use for a lightsaber."

 

It was difficult to be defiant with Faust bearing down on her, but someohow she managed to find the strength.

 

After all the kindness Skye showed him, he hasn't changed one bit...

[Vladimir Faust]

The lightning stops, Faust's jaw tightening further. "That Jedi witch kept it? After all her talk about purifying it? You really expect me to believe that?" he asks incrediously. The sword remains leveled still, Faust staring down at Darla, eyes narrowed suspiciously. While he owed nothing to Darla or the other two, he did feel a debt of honor to Skye and Ara who had principly healed him. He hated both all the more for their pity, but even he was not entirely without gratitude.

 

The wench seems to be telling the truth, but...

 

His eyes glint with anger, bringing the Dark side to bear, and Faust strikes, letting the energies flow down his sword once more as a channel.

 

The results nearly cause his knees to buckle as he tries forcing his way into Darla's mind, intent on ripping the truth out of her. There was a mass of anger, fear, and confusion, but despite that, her training and strong mind held fast. He gets fleeting glimpses of what happened, the images turning into a blur and imprinting themselves in a collective stamp on his mind.

 

The Hunter's knees shake some more, his eyes drifting out of focus. He threw himself in too hard against a mind that didn't yield easily, and was left feeling like he rammed into a duracrete wall.

 

"You... you stupid, silly girl," he mutters, clenching his teeth. "You don't have my lightsaber, do you? You don't have your powers? You... you gave up the power? You just threw the power away?" He didn't know whether to be angry or laugh. The notion of discarding that power seemed absurd. It was madness. Yet she did it. "You threw it away all because... All because Julio... all because my apprentice..."

 

His eyes flash, hammering out the image of death and rebirth, and how they weighed in on his victim. Once more a beatific grin spreads on his face. "All because of my dear apprentice Julio dispatched you?" Laughter echoes from his mouth, full of mockery and contempt. "A foolish move, child. You gave up what you have out of fear and loathing and they have consumed you. And this... has placed you in my power.... and I think, when all is said and done, my dear apprentice will enjoy having you for his own once more."

 

There was one more thought that solidified in his mind, one chance whisper he gleaned from Darla. The Jedi that healed him planned to wipe his memory and turn him into some tame dog like they did Darth Revan of old. Any thought of letting Darla and the others go vanished in a simmering, low anger.

 

You pitiful wretches tried to turn me to your cause by force. I shall repay the favor in kind. Darla, Aerec, you two are my new pet projects...

 

As Faust stares down at Darla, letting her contemplate his promise, the remaining troopers move in quickly, dousing the flames and pulling out the wounded and stunned. Medical personnel quickly arrive to treat Darex and Aerec of their injuries, also sedating them with enough tranquilizers to drop a rancor.

[ForceFusion]

Aerec remained unconscious. Now, however, he had massive amounts of chemicals running through his system to guarantee that he stayed that way for a while.

 

He dreamt. Of flying monkeys. And free candy. And rancors slowly losing their ferocity and falling asleep thanks to one tiny yet rather potent and well-aimed dart.

 

The dreams were dark humor, the kind that is way too dark for you to feel comfortable laughing at it. In his dreams, Aerec didn't laugh, though he did recognize what would be considered funny. In his dream-reality, though, he was too damn scared to laugh.

 

He slowly began coming out of the dreams, feeling that his body had been treated, covered with bacta patches, perhaps even submerged in the miracle substance. He didn't know where he was, where Darex was, where Darla was...

 

But he knew Faust was near.

[Vladimir Faust]

Even as Faust talks with Darla, and Imperial medical officers move towards treating Aerec's wounds, an image slowly manifests itself in the young padawan's head. As consciousness bobs up, an onrush of drugs pull him back down.

 

In that dreamscape, Faust waited....

 

Somehow, Aerec is on Coruscant, looking out over the shining cityscape. Life goes on over it, with its masses of people moving on in peace and tranquility. There is a heavy air over the city, but it is somehow... alive...

 

Aerec stands there, looking down. Somehow he knows the peace is his doing, that air is his doing, built with his own power. He looks down and somehow, he is wearing the robes of an ornate Sith Master...

 

Coming up behind him is heavy footfalls, and a hard metal glove clasps his shoulder. It is Faust, still dressed in white armor and with a flowing trenchcoat. Though his eyes are cold as ever, there is a peculiar pride in them. The gaze sweeps over to Coruscant, to the rest of the galaxy at large. Though the emotional energy is charged, that sense of energy prevails.

 

"You did well, my apprentice," Faust states, clasping the other shoulder. "Look out on your world, and see for yourself what you have done since becoming a Sith Lord."

 

It is then that Aerec would notice that Faust's figure is hazy and translucent, as if the Sith weren't here, as if his spirit and energies were focused elsewhere, causing the entire landscape to shimmer.

[ForceFusion]

Consciousness faded in and out, the narcotics pulsing through his veins more powerful than his will. Aerec wanted nothing more than to wake up and confront the nightmare of Faust directly, to find Darex and Darla and see that they were safe and alive. But he couldn't bring himself to wakefulness for longer than short moments, and all he felt was Faust.

 

In his sleep, one dream kept playing over and over.

 

 

A city he has only seen in holos stands below him. The city spans further than his vision, the horizon dominated by lights in the night, the scene strangely shimmering. There is life, power, and order. Peace.

 

The city looks up to him. Praises him. Calls to him. Perhaps needs him.

 

Aerec has never known power, nor the desire for it, so the dream is strange. He knows not what to do with his might. He has no want for it, not in the broad sense. But when he reaches out into the life of the city and feels for individuals, then he is able to orient himself within his power. It is for them that he would use it, to save them from death and fear, from poverty and cold. From loneliness.

 

A presence comes from behind him, undoubtedly Faust, but not like the evil man. No different, though Aerec's view of him has changed; their relationship has changed. No longer does Aerec feel purely fear in the Hunter's presence. Rather, he feels acceptance, perhaps camaraderie. It is strange, impossible for Aerec's non-dream mind to comprehend, but it is Truth in the dreamscape.

 

Faust speaks. There is pride in his voice. Pride for Aerec. Perhaps even, in a strange way, love. Aerec revels in it, thrives in it, survives in it. In a way, returns it. Reality's mind does not understand, but the mind of the dreamscape lives by it.

 

Faust is not physically there. Indeed, Aerec is truly alone atop the city. Somehow Faust lingers in the atmosphere, lining the city, making his presence known to Aerec. Always there is Faust.

 

When Aerec's mind was strong enough to wake from the drugs and come to reality, there is one thing consistent. Always there was Faust.

[Vladimir Faust]

Faust, still physically focused on Darla, tried to let the edges of his awareness fan out, subtly of course to avoid alerting Darex or worse, taking too much effort away from Darla and allowing the girl to do something foolish. He is able to call out to Aerec, touching on his awareness, his voice all the more hollow and distant now. On a whim, he fans it out to allow Darla to hear as well, though he hides from her that he is speaking to Aerec and vice versa.

 

That is one vision of the future, on possibility, Aerec. People are weak and foolish. It is because these people live in fear, it is because they are weak, and it is because they embrace both, that they invite death and destruction upon them.

 

The Dark side, the fractured Force's better half, teaches people to stand on their own, to use their own power, to seize their destiny and walk their own path. There is no passively letting destiny lead you along into the hands of one stronger than you, helplessly like a sheep to the slaughter. Everyone is strong; everyone is a master of his or her own destiny.

 

The good you seek to accomplish is a long and hard path. It will require sacrifice of others and yourself. All great works require nothing less. The galaxy is a hard, cruel place. We must be harder, we must be stronger to lead people. If they call it Darkness, then so be it. My conscience is clear. Worlds will burn, the galaxy will burn, and every star will be consumed in fires if the "light" rages out of control, inviting passivity and those with more power to act on its followers. I would do away with this slave morality and choose, and allow you to choose your own path.

 

Conisder my invitation... brother....

[ForceFusion]

Aerec wanted out of the nightmare, but couldn't beat the drugs. He wanted to see reality, instead of being trapped in his dream world, pressured by Faust's attempts at persuasion and feeling only horror at what might be happening to his friends.

 

He didn't stray from the Hunter's words, though, he didn't run from them. Since joining Darex, Aerec had yearned for concrete examples of what was "light" and what was "dark." No explanations had satisfied him. Perhaps Faust's would?

 

It didn't do much. Most of what Faust said either didn't appeal to Aerec at all or didn't square with the reality he knew. It seemed that Faust had a misguided view of the Jedi, just as perhaps the Jedi had a misguided view of Faust.

 

Some of it made sense, though. Each individual was strong and could choose its own destiny. Should choose its own destiny. If that was indeed the way of the Dark Side, was it so bad?

 

But did Faust's explanation of the Dark Side conflict with what Darex had taught of the Light? The Jedi were not passive, not waiting for destiny to be handed down to them. They were as active as anyone Aerec had ever known, choosing their own destinies. They gave Aerec an opportunity for his own destiny. If Faust offered the same thing, what was the difference?

 

It was an array of confusion. Aerec couldn't make it all make sense. He couldn't form his own view of the galaxy. Short months ago he'd only seen one planet his entire life, had only one friend.

 

It was all a trap, every step he took with his thoughts led to another contradiction, another black hole, another answerless question, another actionless answer. He thought of Darla's horror, Darex's serenity, Faust's power, Dante's brotherhood, Skye's healing powers, Ilum's destruction...the galaxy was too big a place.

 

He let the drugs take their course, at least for a moment. He didn't have enough to put the pieces together, not this sedated. Sleep was the only comfort.

[Darex Trevelian]

His sedated body was relaxed, but Darex's mind was active, trying to push back the fog that clouded his thoughts. He was semi-concious, his mind occasionally forming coherent thoughts before fading once more.

 

Blast him, Faust must have injected me with enough sedatives to knock out a roomful of angry Wookiees.

 

I have to wake up.

 

Where are Aerec and Darla?

 

I have to hang on. Faust will want to deal with me soon enough.

 

As a Jedi, Darex had had extensive training in resisting poisons and sedatives. His metabolism was fast, and the medical droids had to renew his dosage every few hours. He was aware that they had healed most of his injuries, and could take stock of his body and see that he was almost back to normal, except for the omnipresent drugs in his system.

 

Continuing to struggle with the injections, Darex concentrated all his willpower in reaching his padawan. He had to know that Aerec was all right. It took a long time and several tries, but he eventually succeeded in reaching out and brushing his mind. It wasn't much, and Darex sank back into himself, his effort spent on the normally easy contact. The touch had been enough to tell him that Aerec was in much of the same condition he himself was, although Aerec's mind was in turmoil. Hopefully, he thought as the drugs began to renew their affect on him, Aerec had felt his touch and would know Darex's condition.

 

Stay strong, my dear padawan. No matter what Faust does to you...stay strong...

[Vladimir Faust]

As the medics begin using electronic bindings to secure the Jedi to a prisoner's stretcher and as Faust still holds his sword pointed at Darla, the Hunter feels Darex's voice shoot out. Faust takes a half step back, shaking his head once from the additional concentration. He was going to have to give it his all to avoid slipping here to either Darex or his captive, giving them an edge to strike. His teeth bared, he throws out the following thought into the Force.

 

The Light side teaches subservience to the Force, following its will blindly. The Jedi passively let the Force flow through them, letting it direct their actions. The Jedi at the worst of their dogma use it in lieu of their conscience, in lieu of their judgment. This is the core of their rot. It is slow and subservient, and thus, the Jedi order has been consumed from without time and time again. In the era of Palpatine, in the era of Revan, in eras past, they were reduced to nothing because they could not act against outside forces.

 

The Sith evolve. We change. Our power comes from within and shaping the Force to us! We can master our own destinies and the galaxy's. Search your feelings on this, boy. Righteous anger, that sense of indignity and injustice, that sense that sets your blood boiling are all signs of the so called "dark" half of human nature. They are part of you, a part of yourself you would deny if you let them twist you with their slow, gentle poison.

[ForceFusion]

Darex's touch came as a relief, but only because it ensured that his Master was alive. The Jedi Master offered no answers and no clarity. Aerec wasn't sure there was any clarity to be had.

 

But Faust fought back in Aerec's mind, pressing him harder. Aerec did feel the anger, the sense of injustice and indignation of which Faust spoke. Indeed, it was a part of him.

 

But so was the serenity of Darex, the determination of the Jedi. Was that following blindly? Did Darex follow blindly? Did Aerec? Could any of them help it, or was the Force too powerful, any attempt to shape it just an illusion?

 

Aerec didn't know. It was all beyond him, too much to handle with the sedatives. Faust was right about one thing, though: there was darkness within him, just as there was light. But should that darkness consume him, should it outweigh the light? Where was the truth about Aerec? Where was the truth about the Force?

[SithAcolyte]

Darla was confused and still trapped where she lay. She had been sure that Faust was going to slay her once more. Wanting to go down with her honour she had spoken back to him hoping that her last act in this world would be one of defiance. But that wasn't to be. What had happened? Faust's force lightening had been crackling towards her face. Suddenly it had stopped. Had Faust shown mercy?

 

No... Something else...

 

"All because of my dear apprentice Julio dispatched you? A foolish move, child. You gave up what you have out of fear and loathing and they have consumed you. And this... has placed you in my power.... and I think, when all is said and done, my dear apprentice will enjoy having you for his own once more."

 

Darla didn't know what Faust was talking about. His apprentice? She didn't know that he had an apprentice. Her mind was reeling, trying to grasp what he meant. Had he seen inside her mind? Seen something that she herself couldn't see? Something that she had hidden from herself.

 

"I don't know what you're talking about! I didn't give anything up, the Force is lost to be me not by choice."

 

and I know not of any apprentice... She thought.

[Vladimir Faust]

Faust, glancing down at Darla, holsters his gun, and in a surprising move, sheaths his vibrosword as well. Knealing down, he offers a hand to Darla to help her up.

 

"I see the usual scare tricks aren't going to work, so let's not play games," he adds with a quick grin, his voice still hard, but taken with an unexpected softening that did not seem possible. It sounded almost like a stern father again, this time without the mockery. "You are the second person I know who has found... pain... in the Force and rejected something precious. I have an apprentice by the name of Julio Furion, formerly a Lord, but he lost his memories in the near after of what he did to you. Just as it seems you've managed to wrap yourself in lies and delusions for your own benefit."

 

The Hunter's tone is sharp, using a deadly weapon that cut through more objects than any lightsaber blade, honed with his uneering precision. "Whatever you've told yourself. You are afraid. You are scared. Of me, of what I represent?" There's another faint smile at that. "Well, I want you to ask yourself: How many times have you ended up at the mercy of my kind following your Jedi friends? How often have they failed you and let you die?" Faust's tone is harsh and merciless. "You are scared and your fear chokes you. Jedi and Sith are alike in one thing: We do not fear! We master ourselves, though to different ends. Your fear clouds your ability to grasp the power to stand on your own. You reject the Force, both Light and Dark out of fear, just as you hide as a timid rabbit behind lies and excuses of your own weakness and anguish, trapping yourself in a pattern."

 

The Hunter's eyes are keen, searching Darla, probbing her visually and with the Force, his weapon still cutting sharp. "You are angry and even resentful. It is part of you even more so than that boy, Aerec, so use it and use it wisely for yourself and stop being a slave of those around you." Shaking his head, Faust turns around, deliberately turning his back on Darla, hands folded behind him. A show, and one of seeming indifference, he still kept his ears and Force senses peeled.

 

"Furion is working on unlocking his memories. I want your help with that. You two have much in common it seems, far too much to ignore." He chuckles, a dry laugh escaping his lips. "You might even learn something for your own benefit, girl."

 

Faust was a master warrior, and one weapon he knew how to use all too well, and with maddening accuracy, was the truth.

[Reagan McGreggor]

The salvation came out of hyperspace and made its way to the ship yards orbiting around Mon Cal. After receiving clearance to dock she brought the ship in and gave instructions on what needed repairs.

 

*It'll take a few hours hun, but there is a restaurant for you and the boy to wait in. You could get a good meal and there is a place you could use to clean up too... you know off the ship.*

 

I am not your hun. She nodded to the tech as he backed away from her and the boy and then moved past him, she headed towards the eating establishment that he spoke of. As she passed him, she spoke quietly, I will return in 4 hours, make sure that the work is completed by then, I need to be on my way.

 

She held out her hand for the small boy, as he took it she allowed herself a small smile then steeled her face once again. Her read hair now hung down to her waist and the boys hair was well past his collar. After a year of staying under the radar and away from just about anything familar this was a difficult move for her.

 

After they were seated at a table in the back she leaned down to speak to the boy. Jarrett, you talk to no one but me. Do not look around and stare. We will be finished here and gone shortly and then we will make our way back to our home. Do you understand me?

 

The small blond boy looked up and smiled, "Yes mother, I understand. Can I order anything I want?"

 

She just smiled and nodded her head. When the waitress came, they gave their orders and waited for their food.

[BLACK1]

(Courtesy Filler Post)

 

::Unbeknown to Faust, a few of the Stormtroopers at his bidding spur off from the crash site to send an official report on the situation to Imperial Command. After the report is sent, they return to the rest of the squad, as if nothing had changed::

[Reagan McGreggor]

The waitress served the woman and child their food and once they were finished she brought them the bill. Keeping an eye on the room and the occupants she stood silently, left more then enough money on the table to cover the bill and a hefty tip for the waitress and lifted the boy into her arms. Moving quickly and quietly to the door of the establishment, she touched a few minds to cover her face and they were left with nothing more then an image of a woman with long red hair and a child. No one would be able to give a full description if asked.

 

She had no reason to think that anyone would ask about her or the child but she wasn't taking any chances. She still had more then an hour till the repairs would be completed on the Salvation and she took the opportunity to acquire new clothing for the two of them and freshen up a bit before going back to the ship. It had been more then a year since they had been back in this sector of the galaxy and she was sure that the fashions had changed since the last time she was on Coruscant.

 

In one of the stores, the boy took a liking to one of the new toys that they were promoting, and decided it was something he wanted. Using his mind he started to bring it to him. She quickly grabbed the toy in mid air and moved to the boy quickly”¦ Jarrett no, you can't do that here. Someone could see and might recognize us. If you want something you need to ask for it not just take it. You only use your mind when we are alone. Do you understand? He nodded his head and looked down. I'm not mad at you Jarrett, I'm sorry, I am just concerned. Come, let's get this for you and go back to the ship.

 

She quickly paid for the new clothing and toy and they made their way back to the docking bay. She nodded to the tech that had made the repairs and paid him double what he requested for the job. Dressed in black pants with knew high brown boots, with a black tunic and a red sash, her long red locks flowing down her back, the boy matching but with brown pants and black boots with a black tunic and black belt, his blond hair now cut to collar length and tied back they boarded the ship. The tech asked her name for the forms and something made her stop and listen. Some familiar feeling was here, but she couldn't place it.

 

She looked at the tech and for a long moment thought about just giving him a fake name but something stopped her”¦ The ship is The Salvation”¦ and the name for the paperwork is Reagan F”¦Reagan Lianahan. It wasn't the whole truth, but more then she had given in a long time. She still couldn't bear to say that name. The hatch closed and once cleared for take off, they left, heading for hyperspace once again, and onto Coruscant.

[SithAcolyte]

Much to her surprise Faust freed Darla from her entanglement and helped her to her feet. It was the first time that she had been that physically close to Faust. Even when he had killed her he had done it from afar. It was strange to see that he was just a man, just like...

 

Kakuto...

 

As she took his hand her newly awakened Force senses screamed out. The logical part of her mind silenced them. For the moment she was in no danger. The barriers that she had built up in her head, the blocks that she had subconsciously put in place were dimmed. Slowly she was realising hat her fear strangled her. More than that, she had built a cage out of it.

 

Now this monster, this violent stranger who had killed her once long ago was helping her. Showing her what she had done to herself. Showing her how she had let herself become caged. Darla's greatest fear was to be caged, trapped. Without knowing it she had built the strongest cage she could, deep with her mind. She had climbed into it herself and wallowed. All she had done since her rebirth was lament all that she had lost.

 

Freedom was within her reach.

 

All she had to do was grasp it. Take it by the hand.

 

After taking Faust's hand Darla listened to all that he had to say. Even though her instincts said not to trust him. Even though her brain told her to run or fight, she didn't. She listened. She listened and as she did a strange calm came over her. Faust spoke the truth. There was no spite or malice in his words. She absorbed all that he said and she understood.

 

"You're right..." She voice was a cracked whisper. "I don't remember Julio... I don't know what happened."

 

Darla paused for a moment that seemed like an infinity.

 

"But I want to know what happened. I'm lost at sea and I don't know who I am anymore. I don't know who I was. That woman, that warrior, that fierce fighter... I fear she's dead and all that's left is this shell. This frightened girl..."

 

She was looking down at her own body that seemed so strange t her all of a sudden. Darla felt as if she was wearing the wrong skin. This fragile, small thing before her eyes... Was it really her?

 

"I'll come with you... But I beg you... Please don't hurt my friends... That I couldn't bear."

 

In that moment Darla knew that might truly loose her Jedi friends. Her family that had been with her for so long. Saved her. Protected her. But the alternative was to loose herself. Loose herself to fear, anguish and bitterness.

[Vladimir Faust]

Faust would have given an ironic smile had he known Darla's first thought. Him, just a man? Mortal, frail, and with a man's faults and base weaknesses, was something he would have laughed at. He had those attachments, those weaknesses, but spent his time purging those elements. He was trying to make himself something greater and something that went beyond the human animal.

 

He does however, give a smile, knowing the truth would again be his ally here.

 

"I intend to send Darex back to Gala alive, well, and whole. I owe the Jedi that much," he says, not without a touch of bitterness in his voice. "A life for a life seems fair. As for Aerec, I would have him train alongside you until Julio is ready." His lips twist in concern. He had yet to hear back from his apprentice after what seemed an inordinate amount of thim, leaving him wondering what happened. He doubted any serious ill befell one of his capabilities.

 

"As for what you lost, there is no room for fear or weakness," he adds, his voice a low growl. "The smell of self-pity, lodged like a vomitous mass in your throat, choking your life away, wafts forth with every breath. If you wish to be what you were, who you were meant to be, you will need to be stronger and harder. I will do my best to help, but the change must come from with in"

 

Faust gives Darla an escort outside the downed shuttle, motioning for the troopers to scrap it. Instructions are given to stitch up the other two, and load the unconscious Darex in an automatic shuttle bound for Gala. As an afterthought, a scrap value for the shuttle is deposited with the Jedi master, along with a holonote from Faust. The Hunter then bids Darla and the still unconscious Aerec into a guarded shuttle set for Kamino, chosing it for its isolated locale.

 

 

*****

 

With the Jedi disposed of and sent on their way out of the system, already long gone into hyperspace, Faust makes his way back to the shipyards, working to clear out the administrative details of the Jedi's visit. He makes it painfully clear to the powers that be, which includes Commander Dashiva and Captain Rhanx, both of whom he left in charge of the shipyards during his prior visit.

 

At that point, Dashiva nervously sends forward a communication from Coruscant, an advance briefing from the Emperor's office in anticipation of the Peace Conference's outcome. Curious, he examines the report, one of his pale eyebrows rising in consternation, causing him to smash the datapad in his gauntletted fist with a loud snap, then grind it under his heel.

 

"So, it seems the Emperor wishes to put us on alert that he was offering this as a trading piece for the Rebels," he seethes aloud. He strolls over to a starlit window, surveying the shipyards and the planet below. "I do not know what game he is playing, but we have a duty to make sure that Mon Calamari is not allowed to fall into their hands."

 

He is greeted with sheer silence, each wondering what he meant. Rhanx takes a nervous gulp, already anticipating the response.

 

"I want a list of everyone who's been in and out of here in the past few days. Anyone who is not a member of our staff, I want detained, permanently. I then want these yards evacuated of all our essential staff and equipment. We're bringing them down."

 

"Sir!" comes the first protest from Dashiva, seeing himself firmly caught between the Emperor's expressed wishes and Faust's orders. Woefully, only the latter was present.

 

"I take full responsibility for this order, Commander," Faust states, not even turning around. "If all goes well, it will fall on the missing rebels that were garrisoned here. If anyone pushes through and can affirmatively discredit that, you gave the order because I threatened you. You acted as if your life depended on you following my orders, regardless of what the Emperor clearly wanted." Faust half wondered if the advance notice really was coincidence and not a cue, but given the public profile of what he was about to do, better that than risk the Emperor's good name... and exhaust his patience...

 

He turns around, facing the Commander and Captain, his face showing that no dissent would be allowed. "I do not want word getting out until after the conference is concluded. Rhanx. Keep a skeleton force here in the system to keep this underwraps and to facilitate the clean up efforts. Dashiva, here is how we're doing this..."

 

*****

 

Shortly after the Bhelliom left into hyperspace, tranmissions assail the surface on local Alliance frequencies, mentioning an accident at the driveyards. The movement of Imperial craft and personnel during this time seem to be preparing to evacuate, following what was a massive explosion in several of the spacedocks. Commander are given in the name of the deceased Alliance officers Faust had dispatched in what seemed like ages ago.

 

Suddenly, the shipyards lurch, catching themselves in a rapidly decaying orbit, followed by several weather satilites, conveniently tied to the shipyards for monitoring and control. Before anyone can stop it, there is an impassioned cry for forgiveness in the Alliance commander's name, then silence as impact rains down on Mon Calamari: the shipyards are quickly caught in the uppermost levels of the atmosphere, starting to burn up in orbit, taking with it the weather satilites, each secretly stuffed with enough toxins to depopulate a fair sized city when instead they would be expected to burn up, crash, and do little else to merit attention. A few remaining prisoners from Faust's earlier raid are found in full uniform, scattered among the command centers of the shipyards, adding to the illusion of a Rebel caused accident.

 

Commander Dashiva, having "miraculously evacuated" himself, directs a showy attempt further rescue and securing the shipyards. His words are met with skepticism and distrust, but with Faust's efforts at keeping his coup on the shipyard a secret from the surface prior, so nothing can be made of why the Empire would destroy their own shipyards. The Imperials maintain their seal on communications to prevent spies, saboteurs, and the like from taking advantage of this "terrible accident" that befell Mon Calamari, just as Rhanx's crew remains to keep the planet on an orbital lockdown- no one who is not an Imperial is allowed to leave orbit. Due to the sudden jamming and a cutting off of hyperspace transceivers just prior to the crash communications can neither get in or out of Mon Calamari. More frenzied comms during the shipyard and satilite's descent blame the Rebel troops stationed for what happened, bombarding local Mon Calamari channels.

 

*****

 

Faust, already in hyperspace, makes for Kamino, relaxing and listening to one of his favorite operas. He felt satisfied over a job well done, though was left wondering what the reprocussions would be if his role in this was affirmatively proven. Laughing, he speeds on.

 

(((Edited per the ruling))

[Deton]

((mod approved.))

 

As the incident concluded itself, there were... moxed feelings among the men who had been surrounding the crash site. Yet they did their job superbly, and in the end the scanning screw stripped everything. From communication frequences, to the last thirty jumps of the ship. As well as of course, checking to see if the destination they had been supplied with had actually been where the Jedi intended to go.

 

If there was some more.... indecent action going on, they wanted to make sure theyw ere on top of it before it happened. As soon as they had taken every scrap of information they could possibly obtain from such a ship, they had it hauled over to the imperial base.

 

There it would be detained, until found a use for or scraped.

[Survivor's Foundation]

Ironically, it wasn't the Republic that learned about the catastrophe that had befallen Mon Calamari.

 

It was the Survivor's Foundation.

 

Even after Mon Cal had been declared safe for resettlement by the displaced Calamari population, the work of cleaning up the planet was far from over. Some of the most obscure depths of the watery world's oceans had yet to be touched, as the Foundation's scientists found that cleansing those regions required a very different beast to continue the work of their original bacteria. Hence the small outpost of bioengineers and technicians that continued the great work, monitoring the data feeds from the probes that were still functioning, and engineering new strains capable of surviving--and thriving--at those crushing pressures.

 

Those probes--and a few sets of electrobinoculars owned by the indigenous population--were the first warning that a plague was on Mon Calamari.

 

One of the Foundation's few shuttles was immediately launched on a mission to contact the remainder of the humanitarian fleet, and compel them to scramble from their previous tours. Judging from the shuttle's prodigious velocity, the pilot in charge didn't care about the orbital lockdown; she was going to get this news out to the rest of the fleet, even if it meant giving her life.

 

As far as prices went for a life, saving millions of others was a pretty decent bargain, she had decided.