Altyr 5

[Haphaestus]

"Very well." Haphaestus took another step up to Kadaj so that there was barely an inch between them. Without looking down, the Sith Master harnessed the Dark Side, its summoning swift and its response without delay. A low, audible rumble accompanied his drawing upon it, its vast, galactic currents at his command.

 

Kadaj found himself lifted off the ground. "If you wish to learn of the Dark Side, first you must learn to call upon it." Without a motion, Haphaestus flung Kadaj's body across the room and into a stack of metal crates. He heard the impact and found it possible that he had broken one of the student's ribs. "Feel the pain."

 

Mercilessly, he flung Kadaj across the room again and into another stack of crates. "Let your anger flow."

 

Once more, Kadaj found himself tumbling headlong, sprawled upon the groud. "Hate me!" Haphaestus' words were full of strong emotion, perhaps like anger itself.

[Kadaj]

It hit Kadaj before he could even react. He was only sitting there, listening to Sith before the unthinkable happened. He got to not only see the force in action, but experience it. His body was flung helplessly across the room into a group of metallic crates. He had managed to put his arm up just before the impact, saving some of his ribs. He bounced off, sending a shock of pain through his ribcage. He held them tightly, but showed no emotion whatsoever. He only stood up, still shaken on what just happened.

 

However, before he could recollect himself, he was thrown across the room yet again. Sweeped right off his feet. His body was flung into the air, and into a second stack of crates nearby. This time, head first, with no shock resistance. All he felt was a piercing pain on the top of his head, and then the pounding of his back hitting the floor. After that, everything was blurry. He couldn't see anything.

 

All he could hear, was the figure in the background yelling at him.

 

"Hate me!...Hate me!" Was all he heard. Kadaj wasn't one to get angry, but he felt something strange inside of him as he got up. Anger. It was burrowing from inside him. He could feel his body start to heat up. His hands began to twitch. It was sudden. A burst of anger erupted from within him; One that he couldn't control.

 

With blazing anger, he rushed at the figure, sending his fist with full force at the man's face, unsure where it was going to hit, or if it was going to hit at all.

[Haphaestus]

If Haphaestus had been capable of smiling, he would have done so as Kadaj rushed at him. Excellent. But Haphaestus, with all the might of the Dark Side behind him, was not blinded by rage or fury. These things were important, but they carried with them a price that even Sith had no need for.

 

At the last second, as Kadaj's fist whipped out, Haphaestus leaned back and left in a split-second dodge with incredible reflex and inhuman speed. Kadaj's fist found nothing but open air, and his balance was gone. Sticking out his right fist, Haphaestus allowed Kadaj's momentum to carry his gut right into the fist.

 

Haphaestus' fist was completely unyielding, belying great strength. Kadaj's body flipped over it, probably suffering an internal injury as it did so. The trainee landed on his back in a complete state of pain, anger, shame, and hate.

 

"Good. Now, let your hate flow. But this time, don't let it control you. Feel it, let it bring you focus. Reach out into it, harness it, and see through it.

 

"Your hate is a catalyst. Flowing all around you is a vast energy field of unlimited power. Use your hate to take a hold of it.

 

"Stand up! Use this power! Attack me again! Vengeance for the wounds I inflicted upon you awaits only through this power."

[Guest]

Arin's group had finished their basic training with no more problems. He had shown that he could work as a team if need be, but his attitude displayed his preference for working alone. Soon he had his quarters assigned to him and his personal affects back. He had been assigned to a lab with a few senior workers. He would work along side them for a few months before receiving a lab of his own. They workers he was assigned to specialized in cloning.

 

Reports of the Emperor's death were coming in to the cloning facility; they would have to clone him soon, even though they were unsure if this would be the location that he would return to. Arin was told to make sure that all the small jobs were complete during the process. He spent much of his day bent over a microscope or typing away at a computer. His eyes scanned the double helix strand for mutations, making sure that the sample they had of Geki's DNA was uncorrupted.

 

He took the sample, preparing it for the senior officer”¦

[Kadaj]

Excruciating

 

That was how immense the pain was. The fist impaling Kadaj's gut was as though a metal ball was being hurled into his mid-section. On impact, Kadaj's eyes went wide, and his body hurled over the fist. He lost breathe almost immediatly, and was gasping for air when his back hit the ground. He rolled away from the man, avoiding any more attacks. He held his gut tightly, slowly catching his breathe.

 

He put one knee up on the ground, holding the rest of his body up. He pushed off the ground with his right hand, setting him straight. His gut was throbbing with pain, like a knife was poking inside. He tried to put the pain aside, and focus ahead of him. Now, he was mad. He had never gotten this way before, but he could feel his blood start to boil. His breathing became frantic in a matter of seconds. Within a few moments, he found himself rushing towards the man with ferocity. This time however, he didn't lunge himself at the man.

 

He played it smart. He threw a fist forward, but kept his guard up with the other. He missed completely, but hitting him wasn't his goal. When the man dodged his fist, Kadaj sent a knee towards his gut. He felt the armor smack against his knee cap as he impaled it into the man's chest. He knew it was weak, but from the force of the hit, it had to have done something. He backed off almost immediatly, putting some space in between him and Haphaestus.

[Haphaestus]

A little better, but you're missing the point, Haphaestus thought as Kadaj slammed his knee into the Sith Master's gut. He had allowed the attack to succeed, of course--the Dark Side had told him of it well before it took place. He hadn't been surprised, at any rate.

 

Kadaj, on the other hand, was. When he put the strength he had into the attack, he found not Haphaestus stumbling back from the blow, but a completely unyeilding surface, more sturdy than a tree and clad in metal armor. It was like slamming a durasteel wall with one's knee--more harm is done to the knee than the wall.

 

The Imperial trainee stumbled backwards again, perhaps wondering just what made this being Haphaestus so impervious. "Listen to me, for you are not doing as I instruct," he said. "Focus your mind, and the power there you will unlock. By now you must realize that physical attacks mean nothing to me. Attack me metaphysically, not with your body but with your mind. Rather than striking me with your fist, will that I be struck by a power you did not before now know existed.

 

"You must unlearn the laws of physics, for they mean nothing. In this universe, some of the fundamental laws of nature can be bent. The rest can be broken."

 

Haphaestus' form radiated dark energy, and his cloak seemed to animate itself, spreading as if in a breeze that did not exist. But nothing seemed real here. "I have shown you these powers. Your bruises speak of them. Use your hate and you will find that you, too, can harness them."

[Guest]

A fire broke out in the laboratory sections, rapidly consuming many of the labs of technicians inside. Dental records had to be brought in once the flames were fought back to indemnify the charred remains of the men that had just given their lives for the Empire, Arin seemingly being one of them.

[Kadaj]

The recoil of Kadaj's knee impaling into the Sith's chest caused him to stumble backwards, nearling hitting the wall behind him. Unfortunetly, the sacrifice of recieving pain was in vain for physical attacks did nothing to the man. Kadaj kept his distance, watching as the man called upon an entity that Kadaj never believed in until now.

 

You want hate?!....I'll give you hate!

 

Kadaj let free his emotions. He let the rage that was kept inside of him for so long, flow freely among him. He could feel it. His body began to heat up. He felt stronger, faster, more keen by the second. He had never felt this way in his life. His anger and hatred for the man was englufing him. Soon, he had no control.

 

Silver strands of hair started to wave, as though there was a breeze. Yet there were no windows. He could could feel the tremble of power within him; a raging river of anger rushing through his body. He began to feel it; Exactly what the man was speaking of. A power not commonly attained. Yet he felt it, from head to toe.

 

Lets try this now..

 

With all his hatred, strength, will, and determination, he pushed forwards. His eyes were closed, but he could feel the power rush through his hands and out his body. A wave of force glided across the room towards the Sith. Whether it would do any damage or not, he still accomplished what he thought he could never do.

[Haphaestus]

Haphaestus felt satisfaction and he allowed himself to tumble through the air, propelled by the currents of the Dark Side. The room was small, but he was able to guide himself into a backward flip and land safely and easily. "Excellent," he said. "You have touched the Dark Side of the Force, reaching into an entire universe of power for the first time.

 

"But do not let go of your anger now. No, you must learn to trust its touch, command it at a moment's notice. Continue to use it. Attack me again. Manipulate your surroundings. There are no physics in this world, and everything around you can be moved or destroyed."

 

The Sith Master pulled a lightsaber off his belt and activated it, the red light illuminating the mostly dark room. "Don't fail now, for failure is unacceptable."

[Kadaj]

Kadaj had experienced something he had never experienced before. The Force. And now the Sith was telling him that he could manipulate the force to move objects and such. However, Kadaj was now a believer. If he could do what he just did, he could pick up objects.

 

He used the same rage he used on his last attack on the Sith. This time, he channeled that hatred and anger towards one object. There was a smaller crate on the other side of the room. He focused on it for several seconds, and raised his hand. The crate moved, but did not lift off the ground. He exhaled, and attempted again. His failure made him now even more angrier, and with the fear of the Sith's punishment, it drove him to complete determination.

 

He lifted his hand again, this time letting his mind go freely as though the force was now second nature. He closed his eyes, and when his hand was raised completely, he opened them. He found the crate in the air, levitating above both of them, nearly touching the cieling. He had completed the task with amazement, ye the had another plan. He threw his hand down towards the Sith and the crate followed. It soared towards the man with immense speed. Before it hit, he quickly picked up another and hurled it in the same direction, sending now two metallic crates towards the Sith..

[Haphaestus]

"Better," Haphaestus said as he reached out a hand and reversed the course of one of the crates, his own control of the Dark Side far more powerful than that of his new apprentice. The other was met by his lightsaber, and it split, spilling its munition contents upon the floor.

 

Pointing his lightsaber blade at Kadaj, the Sith Master concentrated. A moment later, a gout of Dark Side lightning burst from the blade and leapt across the distance to the Imperial trainee, who took the hit and convulsed, dropping to the ground smoking.

 

"There is much power in the Dark Side. Your ability to reach it is only limited by your mindset.

 

"Now, report to the med center. You have too many injuries to make the most of these early days of training. Find me again when you are healed--I will be here."

[Kadaj]

Everything had happened to quickly. In a flicker of psuedomotion, both crates were destroyed in a matter of moments. Kadaj then was met with a blast of lightning sending high powered volts all throughout his body. He completely lost control of all his motor functions and his body dropped to the ground like a flying ragdoll. He twitched for a few moments, paralyzed on the ground. Smoke erupted from his skin as his body soon regained it's composure.

 

He stood up, holding his ribs and breathing heavily. He had never seen such power before, and despite the fact that he was in immense pain, he craved it. Yet, good things happen to those who wait. His next task was to report to the medical facility strangely enough. He was grateful for the break, yet he was expecting non-stop torture. He reached the medical bay only mometns later, and the droids immediatly began their daily routine. He was layed on a bed, and his shirt was removed. The next thing he knew, it was lights out.

 

A flickering light stood over his eyes as he opened them. It had seemed like only a few moments, but in reality it was a few hours. He sat up, feeling a slight pain on his side. There was a large patch where his ribs were cracked, and his skin no longer had any burn stains. All his cuts and bruises were patched up nicely, and the droids were no working on another patient. He put his shirt back on, and continued down the hall where his master was awaiting. As he opened the door, he prepared himself for the next task...

[Haphaestus]

As soon as Kadaj left, Haphaestus deactivated the lightsaber he held and reattached it to his belt. He stood the entire time the Imperial apprentice was gone, deep in meditation. The Dark Side had many mysteries, some of which even he had not begun to explore. But he was not limited in comprehension, a gift of his nature.

 

When Kadaj returned, Haphaestus regarded him emotionlessly from behind his helmet, which revealed nothing. "Sit," he commanded. Let us see if he has learned from last time.

[Kadaj]

His master told him to sit, however it wouldn't end like last time. If Kadaj was going to survive, he would have to replace his new habits, with old ones. His mind would have to be reshaped to withstand the training that lurked in his future.

 

"Yes master..." He replied as his silver hair waved in front of his eyes.

 

He sat down in the middle of the room, with no support and a blank face.

[Haphaestus]

At least he's learned one thing, Haphaestus thought. But now it is time for a different sort of lesson.

 

"Anger, fear, and aggression are of the Dark Side. They come easily in a fight, and are accelerants to ultimate power. I am not here to speak against them, for through them you have already unlocked a power greater than you could have before imagined.

 

"But the Dark Side's uses are far from limited to combat. You will not always have those strong emotions to feul your passion for power and deliver it unto you."

 

Haphaestus started to circle Kadaj quietly. "Now that you know the touch of the Force, you are now to reach out to it again, this time without being enraged first. You must learn to feel your surroundings rather than see them, become a part of them rather than exist within them," he instructed.

[Bad karma]

A comm arrives from the Dark Lord of the Sith, calling the Empire back to Cardia. It notifies the Empire that the Sith will soon be returning to Cardia and will help solidify their position on the planet once again.

[Lord MacLeod]

Luke listened to the comm message from Cardia with a clenched jaw. He cursed and slammed his fist down on the desk. Replaying the message, Luke stood from his desk and moved to the viewport. He looked out at the base and the forcefield that surrounded it. Shaking his head, he sat down and sent a comm back to Cardia.

 

Drumming his finger on his desk he shook his head. His reaction had been too quick. Standing, he had Onyx Squadron summoned and assembled for an escort flight. Once that was done, Luke sent a second comm to Cardia. The comm explained his reason for his quick refusal and offered a meeting between them. With that done, Luke placed Captain Lora in charge of the base in his absence and headed to the hanger bay.

 

He boarded his Tie Defender and flew up from the planet and into space, his squadron close behind. Ten minutes after they cleared the planet's atmosphere, they cleared the gravity well and jumped into hyperspace heading for Cardia.

[Deton]

He raised an eyebrow, after being tossed off the ship, and left to wait for a senor officer to assist him. Basic hadn;t been like this when he had first started. No matter, he was sure he would be allowed to return to active status, right after he explained the situation.

 

After all he had been seperated from the empire after the battle of csilla, and found himself, crash landed on the backwater hell hole known as Tatooine. After many long days of searching, he had stumbled across a small sliver of information that, had inadvertly led to him being captured and transported here.

 

Maybe he would even get a promtion for simply making it out. After all in basic, all they ever told Stormtroopers, was to quietly wait for rescue. That the empire would not forget you, and as soon as possible would come forth and rescue you from where after you may have been, as long as your kept your gear up, your armor shining, and your faith in the empire.

 

 

He sighed, he had still be in this area for a long time, and even with his service in the empire, he couldn't recall a time he had been to this world. So he returned to quietly waiting.

[Lord MacLeod]

A comm came through to Captain Lora with top priority From Admiral MacLeod. --Comm-- "Captain, this message is Priority Alpha. The base is to be mobilized as soon as possible. Put half of fighter squadrons on alert and order the other fighter squadrons to head to the Outer Haven along with several transport ships with crewmen and women, also send several frigates as guards for the transport ships.

 

Once you have done that I want the base to be ready to relocate. Those are your orders Captain. I require those carried out as soon as possible." --End Comm--

[Lora]

Receiving the new orders, Lora passed them on, sending back an encrypted reply that it would be carried out.

 

The whole base began to move to mobilize ready for the relocation. The fighters were given their orders, half of them as well as transports disappearing with the co-ordinates to Outer Heaven. All had orders to keep the location of this base secret and to take all precautions to keep it that way.

[Lord MacLeod]

A brilliant flash of light signalled the arrival of the new Imperial Fleet over Ayltr 5. Moving into orbit above the planet, Admiral Macleod sent a comm down to Captain Lora.

 

--The Fleet is above the planet. I want all Imperial personnal onboard within two hours. One more thing, report to the Bridge of the Super Star Destroyer Imperial Vengance.--

[Lora]

With the arrival of the Fleet and the Comm. from the Admiral, all of the Imperial personnel were mobilized. They had already been prepared to move and were waiting on this order. Everything had been packed and ready to go as soon as they had received the word.

 

Lora headed to her own personal ship, boarding it after giving final orders to her Lieutenants. She lifted off, heading up to the Imperial Vengance, landing in the hanger bay after receiving permission to do so. Without further ado Lora headed towards the Bridge of the Super Star Destroyer... as ordered.

 

Once there, she gave the Admiral a sharp salute.

 

"You wanted to see me Sir"

[Lord MacLeod]

"Welcome aboard the Imperial Vengance Captain. Walk with me." Luke lead her through the ship while the fleet made a jump into hyperspace. He led her to the restricted forward observation deck and handed her a small piece of paper with instructions on it. "Certain things must be attended to. You know what must be done. Let me know what you require."

 

The note was written in an old imperial code that Lora would understand. "One more thing. For the moment the Acklay II is your command ship. Take good care of her, she was my first command. "

[Vash Mammon]

The Imperial shuttle exited hyperspace above Altyr 5. Its pilot pulled toward the planet expertly following the proper protocol. The Officer aboard Lieutenant Rebecca Starwind was scheduled to return from her post as a recruiter at the Mos Eisley Cantina. She transmitted this information to the Imperial command below, before opening up her comm. Her voice reached those below,

 

"Lieutenant Starwind, requesting permission to land."

[Jidai Geki]

*The Emperor's personal and far-too-oft-used cloning clyinder hisses, its sleek door sliding back, and steaming amniotic fluid spills from the cylinder and drains into the grille set in front of it.

 

Geki stalks forth from the cylinder, his usual angry vengeful I-will-destroy-the-universe act a little stale, he felt, and so he simply shook his head and donned the nearby robe.

 

He walks over to a comm unit and comms Admiral McLeod:*

 

'Admiral, I'm stepping down as Emperor. Since Altyr 5 is my personal property, my final order is that the Imperial fleet return at once to Carida. I'm sure it has been resecured, and I'm sure the Sith will be more than willing to assist you. Good day, Admiral.'

 

*Geki's final order is carried out on the surface: Imperial personnel vacate the facility and are returned to the fleet in orbit. All that remains is for Admiral McLeod to return the fleet to Carida.*

[Lora]

"Thank you Sir."

 

Lora took the paper, glancing at it and putting it to memory before she pushed it into her pocket.

 

"I'll take care of the Acklay II Sir. No problem with that"

 

::: The rest of the Imperial Fleet disappeared into hyperspace, following the Imperial Vengance :::

[Jidai Geki]

*The Imperials gone and Geki reduced to a mere civilian, he resecures the facility- now populated solely by droids, nanites, and slaves- repopulates his system with a fresh colony of the Mk.II version of the microscopic machines, and stalks away down the corridors, a fixed grin on his face and a mad light in his eyes.

 

Geki enters the Kami and glides up through the azure sheets of ocean water, flitting into outer space and entering hyperspace.*

[Jidai Geki]

OOC: necessary double post, apologies to whomever is offended by this slight.

 

IC: *The Lich slinks back into the space above Altyr 5, her course having been altered several times so as to escape the highly unlikely possibility of anybody following her.

 

She descends gracefully, the re-entry burn of the atmosphere coursing over her like seawater over a Quarren's smooth head, and slips into the vast ocean waves without fanfare.

 

Geki guides her into a docking bay located in the former SEED/Imperial facility and now his property solely. It was deliciously ironic, he reflected, that he had fashioned his retreat from the graveyard of a planet he had flooded.

 

He disembarks quickly and turns to his new apprentice, the almost permanent rictus of his grin gleaming in the low-level lighting of the cockpit.*

 

'And now, my young apprentice, we begin your training.'

[Nefarious]

Aiden strode beside Geki, unshaken by the man's obvious lack of sanity.

 

"What exactly is it that I am to learn?"

 

He had been wondering this for a while. He wasn't sure if the man wished to teach Aiden about Galactic politics or self assertion or one of a very long list of things to learn. This had really been rather covert as far as the coarse description went.

[Jidai Geki]

'I'm sure you'll find my approach to tutoring very much a... sink or swim scenario, my young friend.'

 

*Geki gestures, and the floor beneath Aiden falls away, one of the many innovations the facility had undergone after the Imperial departure.

 

Aiden plunges into the icy brine of a special underwater cave fashioned for either hilarious executions or gruelling tests of endurance and strength. The cave was hundreds of feet wide and eighty feet deep, and a number of Altyr 5's carnivorous and sentient-eating sharks were patrolling the cave hungrily, having not been fed for days. The electromagnetic field and sonic waves generated by a sentient in distress is a feast to their highly tuned senses, and they turn sleekly in the water, grins ringed with razor-sharp teeth.

 

Aiden has but one chance to survive, and it is located at the bottom of the pool. A rusting pressure hatch with a large release valve will see him delivered from a watery grave...*