Harbingers (Self-Training/Invite)

[Darth Libertas]

Hyperspace. The alternate dimension spaceships traversed for faster-than-light travel. If one looked out of the viewing port it appeared like a shimmering, seemingly endless blue tunnel. Ships moved through it at a speed faster than the naked eye could follow. Yet, contrary to its depiction in holovids and video games, hyperspace travel was not instantaneous. Even short trips could take hours on end. Hence why Sumiko Tanaka had put her XS freighter on auto-pilot and left the cockpit. It would take plenty of time before she had reached her destination, a world by the name of Denon. Massive ecumenpololis, economic hub and...many years ago, the site of a zombie holocaust.



The undead had arisen from their graves, so the tales went. The canny knew that the incident had been the result of scientists trying to create a cure for the Rakghoul plague that had ravaged the world. The results had been...far more than they had wanted. Millions upon millions of the undead had walked the earth, self-regenerating, able to learn and exist without nourishment. Driven by one goal alone: That of converting every single sentient being into their collective.



Omega Pyre, still young and vigorous, had come and purged the world with fire and steel. Many years later after the great battle had been fought, Sumiko had had cause to visit the world herself and investigate the zombie plague. Then she had been an agent in the service of the Inquisition. A weapon of the state. Dedicated to service. Under threat of death if she strayed from the General Line. But those days were gone and now she was...free. Still a most unfamiliar feeling.



Yet one thing remained consistent. Her dedication to the pursuit and learning of arcane knowledge. Her desire to unlock the secrets of the Force and master them. Especially of what was called the 'dark arts'. As she stepped towards the door she stretched out with her mind and manipulated the controls, overriding the security mechanism through her technomantic power and granting herself entrance. She could have used telekinesis or just typed in the code, but that was besides the point.


It was time to expand horizons a bit. The adventure on Onderon and Dxun, alongside Maja Vern, had been harrowing and dangerous, but the prize had been...considerable. More than she could have hoped for. One prize was the holocron of Sorzus Syn, something which would require lots of time and dedicated studying to unlock the secrets of. Especially if combined with the treasures she had taken from that sadistic primitive Aesham. Both were secured in her oubliette backpack, immune to Force probing due to resin coating. The last prize was in a small security compartment, which was likewise soon overriden.


Long pianist fingers enclosed around the small chip as she removed it from the locker, which was then shut. Not just any chip, but that of an HRD, one evidently on the same mission to find the holocron, who had attacked her on Maja on Onderon. Thing was, she had known the woman whose face the machine wore. It was time for experiments and answers...

 

[Darth Libertas]

Alexandra Suvorova. Force adept from Eriadu, special agent for MICO, highly decorated and with a good service record. Service in several conflict zones. For a time assigned to special operations in the unknown regions, which was where she had encountered Sumiko. Needless to say they had not been friends, but more like...friendly rivals. The sort of people who could meet and have a cordial discussion, share their enthusiasm about this or that artefact whilst trying to score an edge over the other, then go back to plotting to murder each other or turn the other's contacts.


The world of cloak and dagger led to strange alliances and bedfellows. But now Suvorova was presumably no more. Moira Skaldi...she had once been the Protectorate's Director of Military Intelligence. Then she had gone freelance and worked for the Atrisian Empire for a while. More than that, Sumiko knew now that she had collaborated with Madeline to exterminate all of Atrisia's force-users.


Anger rose up inside her like bile in her stomach as she...remembered the horrors of the Purge. Her entire family all but exterminated. It had been a twisted little family and in the end they had all been slaves, but it had been family. Even someone with a heart as black as her was not free of caring. Not wholly at least. But she clamped down on this feeling as she focused on the little chip in her hands.


Had the real Fedorova been liquidated and replaced by an HRD that wore her face? Was there a way to turn humans into machines, as strange as that sounded? There had been...rumours about force-users disappearing from the camps for experiments. Either way she would have answers now. Alas, the chip had been badly damaged during the fight after she used her powers to blow up the fake Fedorova's vulnerable circuits, but it was still salvageable.


For a brief moment Sumiko closed her eyes as she focused, pulling at the tangled web of infinite power that was the Force as she drew its energies inside her. Her eyes opened as she looked upon the tiny chip, her focus shrinking and narrowing bit by bit as she brought it down to the tiniest level. Until she could truly 'see' the chip, the sensitive circuitry, the smallest wires and the ways it all connected. Single beads of sweat were accumulating on her forehead as she focused, but nonetheless she concentrated and pressed on. The Force flowed through her as she exerted her sheer will, repairing the small chip as moment upon moment passed. Wires were fixed and made anew, connecting once more, circuitry made whole and then calibrated. It was an intense, complex process, but she had time and patience.

 

[Darth Libertas]

Time passed. She had long lost track of it since she had not bothered look at her chrono. The more sensitive and complex aspects of the Force demanded full concentration, hence her intent focus upon her task alone. So with that in mind she immersed herself in the Force, focusing upon the tiny chip before her.


There was, of course, a chance that this was all just coincidence. That the HRD who wore the face of the former OP agent had nothing to do with Skaldi and the horrible events on Atrisia...and thus with the suffering she had endured after the Purge. Heaven knew there were plenty of other parties could be involved. Yet Sumiko did not believe in coincidences. In her heart of hearts she knew there was a link and that it had not been coincidence that had brought 'Fedorova' to Onderon, presumably seeking the holocron of Sorzus Syn just as she had.


The will of the Force perhaps? Undoubtedly a sign of it. The Force did not lie or trick, but it only revealed its secrets to those who strive and helped those who helped themselves. It had to be wooed and shown that you were worthy. And so Sumiko kept on concentrating intently. Bit by bit the chip was being fixed. Only rather than an expert slicer or technological whiz it was through the hand of her technomantic magic that was being brought about. And with the repairs done her mind extended its focus as she sought to calibrate the chip and in the process laid bare the secrets of the machine that had been steered by it.


A droid brain was a most complex thing, working with a processing power far beyond that of an organic. It could store vast amounts of information, recall perfectly with an accuracy that put a mentat to shame, unhindered by the plague of emotion and feelings. It was at the same time both marvellously complex and devilishly simple. Sumiko could not hope to map its memory and 'absorb' the droid's memories all in one go. After all, she was just an organic. Moreover, she was not yet a master of the craft of mechu-deru, but still learning in many ways. What she was trying to do would probably not be possible if the droid had still been intact, but the only thing left was a simple chip and it seemed the secret command codes had been wiped from it, leaving its contents bare once she finished calibrating, inserting her own commands. If she chose to reactivate the machine by inserting the chip into a droid, it would be obedient to her.


So with this done she briefly put the chip done onto the table and took a long gulp from her bottle of water, not even bothering to pour herself a glass. Then she took the chip into her hand again and once more projected her will into it. Only this time she was not trying to repair, but step by step seeking to probe the memories stored and then to absorb them. Baby steps obviously, but patience was a virtue.

 

[Darth Libertas]

Patience. It was a virtue she had in spades. Or at least Sumiko liked to think of herself that way. And yet the process was tiring, even for her. As had been said, she was far from being a master of mechu-deru. While she had long lost track of time, if she'd given thought to how much must have passed she would probably measure it in hours. More and sweat accummulated upon her forehead and back, her brow furrowed, so deep in concentration was she.



Strain was all too evident on her features yet she pushed on as she exerted her willpower and her technomantic skills, calibrating the feth out of the chip. In the process she was inserting her own command protocols. It took time and much effort, as it effectively meant translating Force-empowered will into what would be compressed machine language, the sort a creature of metal and logic could understand.


Then...there were the memories. Much of those had been irretrievably lost when the chip was damaged during her fight with the HRD, but it was still a small ocean she ended up shifting through and searching, seeking to absorb it all into her mind piece by piece. Then suddenly sparks flew and she cried out, feeling an electrical shock strike her hand. In her haste she had gone too far and the chip tumbled to the table. Nursing her hand she looked down and picked the chip back up. To her relief she found that it was undamaged. Exhaling slowly she once again sank into the Force and tried anew. Only this time in a slower, more focused manner. Haste makes waste. She could imagine Grand Inquisitor [member="Mirien Valdier"] driving that lesson home.


By force if need be. Mirien...so many conflicting emotions were aroused inside Sumiko by the name alone, but she banished these thoughts from her mind and focused instead upon the chip and the Force, harnessing the energies of its power, letting them flow through her until she could 'see' the circuits to manipulate. In a sense, it was like there was an interface and a screen she could manipulate, though such a description appeared inadequate. She touched the chip and the memories of the droid suddenly came flashing through her mind. The sensation was physically painful, feeling as if sparks of electricity were suddenly striking her and making her feel like she was experiencing a sharp burn, but she blotted it out. So what if she got burnt a little, there was knowledge to be gained and she was so close now.


There was a flash...and suddenly she saw a bed being wheeled into what looked like an MRI tube. The body of Alexandra Fedorova. It was disconcerting to look upon her like that, clearly sedated and inside a sterile room. There were other faces...one was...Moira Skaldi. Her blood ran cold at the sight but she forced herself to focus because the slightest loss of concentration could break the connnection. The machine before her eyes sprang to life, initiating what seemed to be a brain scan...as the droid brain was created in the likeness of an organic. What would emerge was not a human, but an HRD...

 

[Darth Libertas]

That face...she knew it. It haunted her at times. Even now that she was free of Atrisia and had broken the chains that restrained her. Through victory, her chains had been broken. The Force had set her free. No, not the Force, Sumiko had freed herself. Using the chaos caused by Madeline's assassination to her advantage whilst Atrisia fell apart. Moira Skaldi.


She was the one giving 'Fedorova' her first instructions when the former agent arose an HRD, standing over her new drone like a proud parent. "You are a Human Replica Droid and you serve Archangel. We seek to bring about a new order of well-ordered machines. An order of logic and rationality. All organics must be processed or wiped out." The words were spoken dispassionately, without emotion or feeling. It was so ironic that the machines prided themselves on being 'pure' and 'logical', yet revealed themselves as zealots adamant about the purity of metal.


It was...so much like the fanatics who had followed Madeline. Archangel...that was Archangel Research and Design, a known droidmaker? Moira Skaldi was...Nalia Alderana. Sumiko's blood went cold and her mind reeled but she forced herself to focus.


Too look into the mind of a droid and see its memories, let alone absorb them, was a complex task. To an extent a case could be made for the idea that a human mind was not equipped for such a task. Of course, Sumiko hardly counted as a normal human due to having the Force, but the basic rules still remained. So the process was still physically painful for her and made her mind spin, but she pushed through. Pain was just weakness leaving the body, what did not kill her made her stronger, and she owed it to the brothers and sisters she had lost when the Inquisition was purged.


Processing...it would take her some time to piece together the, well, process and bring clarity to the disjointed thoughts of the droid mind. For while the chip had been repaired, some of the damage had been too great to fully erase. But she understood the basics as the machine revealed how Archangel had developed the technology to turn organics into droids, creating mechanical beings in the likeness of humans and perfect copies of their minds. The goal being to spread HRDs across the galaxy, put them in positions of influence...all waiting for for the day when the command would be given to strike. A secret command code to assume direct control and turn the droids against their masters. Very smart and megalomaniacal.


But there was more. She saw Fedorova aid her mechanical mistresses in various operations, such as on Bespin and Maramere, where Archangel acquired stygium right under the Protectorate's nose. For what had it been used? What would Sumiko do if she acquired the valuable crystals? If she had enough, use them for a stealth ship.


Briefly a name flashed through her mind, then an image. Of a woman of immense power and with the face of an angel. Kära Vi'dreya. She had been...a partner of Moira, a Sith Lord. Archangel had designed droids for her...but then the trail went cold and the chip refused to yield more information, beyond showing a deserted base. Then Sumiko suddenly tensed and it took all her willpower to remain controlled when she finally saw...Atrisia.

 

[Darth Libertas]

Atrisia.


She once again saw the horrors of the Purge being played out before her eyes. Inquisitors, who had been summoned to their work stations in the Imperial military and security services, being mercilessly gunned down by assassin droids and stormtroopers. To be sure they put up a valiant fight but outnumbered and outgunned, without any form of leadership, they had been doomed from the start.


Those who died were the lucky ones. For the less fortunate there were the camps. Humiliation, experiments, terrible, terrible tests. Her own memories flashed once again inside her mind and she shuddered strongly, shaking as she tried to maintain control. Carted away in train cars like live stock, kept in tiny cells too small to lie down and find comfort in, forced to be permanently chained, giving little food and drink to break them. Indeed, she saw a scene where Fedorova and some ISB officers discussed the best ways to break force-users, swapt tips about which sort of narcotics to employ.


Ruthless efficiency. So much like the Inquisition. Innocent force-users, common civilians who'd never harmed anyone, had been captured as well and subjected to experiments. Some of them had been cloned just to see what made them tick.


She pulled away and broke the connection to the chip, unable to look further. She was breathing heavily. As a matter of fact she was more like panting as she tried to steady herself and control her shaking hands, for she was trembling. Taking a deep breath she steadied herself. She was a former Inquisitor, she had fought monsters and survived both Inquisitor Lai and [member="Mirien Valdier"] and the Purge. She would handle this and see it through to the end. And so she accessed the chip again, soon reestablishing the connection as the Force flowed through her.


Atrisia again...but in the recent times. Fedorova had been one of the Archangel HRDs assigned for security during the great festival. Indeed, she had participated in the great man hunt for Valdier and Aesham...which obviously failed. But then...through Fedorova's eyes she saw her gunning down Atrisian stormtroopers and Royal Guards, clearing a pathway of escape for...Moira Skaldi and a mortally wounded Madeline Kahoshi.


Madeline, who was believed to be dead. It was logical when you thought about it. Skaldi had been an 'ally' of hers, doubtless using the Empress to gain access to Atrisian high-tech and her scientific breakthroughs. Madeline had been struck down by Valdier and now Skaldi was cutting her losses...and escaping with the badly wounded Empress. She saw them take off on an Atrisian vessel....to the stealth ship Archangel... The Empress, the queen who had made Sumiko's life a living hell, had escaped. Had she been turned into an HRD as well? Had Skaldi cloned her? The Inquisitor had seen Spaarti cloning tubes being loaded onto the ship before it vanished.


Questions over questions, but there were no more answers to be found, for at this point the memory broke off in a flash. Sumiko furrowed her brow as she thought, thoughts racing through her mind. Even for someone as patient as she was, it took a good deal of willpower not just to toss the chip against the wall. Perhaps, even with her mechu-deru, the chip had simply been damaged too much to fully restore the memory core. More likely this HRD was simply a drone and thus only knew what it needed to know. The queen had escaped. Dark, murderous thoughts and a sensation of rage invaded her mind.

 

[Darth Libertas]

Time. That was what she needed. To rest and recover after the exertions she had put herself through for the last few hours. It was only now that she looked at her chrono that she realised how much time had passed. But she also needed it to gather and organise her thoughts.



Sumiko was a woman who liked order, neatness and organisation in her life, compartmentalising its various aspects into different boxes. This even though she distrusted authority due to her harrowing experiences on Atrisia. Now she needed time to bring order to her chaotic thoughts and stop the confusing train that was pushing through her mind.


There was also the fact that she was suffering from a headache from hell. And so with a shaky hand she grabbed a bottle of water and poured herself a glass, then took a aspirin out of a small bag. Both water and aspirin tablette were quickly gulped down. It made things better...just a little bit. But as time passed she could think more clearly and process the information that she had absorbed.


What had been revealed to her again? Fact, Archangel was the front for a genocidal machine cult that pursued dreams of eradicating all organic life and creating a galaxy controlled and populated exclusively by droids. These plans were insane and frankly unrealistic and thus not her priority. Fact, Moira Skaldi was secretly head of Archangel and well-connected with Sith Lords and the Tion Hegemony, and responsible for several raids and terrorist attacks. Fact, she had escaped with Madeline Kahoshi from Atrisia. Presumably the former Empress had been turned into a droid. It took an effort of will to keep the waves of hatred at bay as they threatened to overcome her. This meant Archangel probably had access to her brilliant and extremely dangerous research.


What would Sumiko do in their place? Heavily invest in...bioweapons. Her brow furrowed and a sigh escaped her throat as she thought further. Archangel's headquarters was located on Denon. Oh, crap. Was this connected to the rumours of some of the zombies having survived? If she were Moira, what would she do? Probably gather zombie samples and recreate the virus. Tamper with it to make it even more efficient...Its former corporate offices had been located on Corellia, but been destroyed when Cater thought it would be fun times to raze his own planet.


It was most unlikely that Archangel kept its processing technology in its formal offices on Denon, Loronar, Lianna or 244 Core. It would be foolish and the risk of detection would be far too great. But...if there were secret installations, then she was completely in the dark about their location. Of course, she could probe further in the chip and exert herself even more, but she doubted that anything further could be gained from this.

 

[Darth Libertas]

Her time of momentary reflection and rest was over. The freighter continued to traverse through the depths of hyperspace. It would be several hours before she reached her destination. This writer is taking full advantage of the fact that faster-than-light travel is not instantaneous and advances at the speed of the plot. In this particular case the plot in question demanded that it take a while.


Her thoughts and theories on Archangel could wait. There would eventually be a call to be made to [member="Mirien Valdier"]. That would be an...interesting reunion, and a potentially bloody one. The latter scenario was one she would prefer to avoid. One of her reasons being simple self-preservation, since she liked to think that she had a well-developed survival instinct.


There was so much to study. The holocron of Sorzus Syn was top on her agenda. A good deal further down was the journal of Naamah Aesham. A book covered in human flesh that represented a ghastly account of the girl's atrocities, yet also held infomation about the dark arts the foolish girl had so badly misused. One of them being the twisted yet alluring and intriguing art of Drain Life. Yet at this juncture Sumiko needed to 'blow off steam', as puerile as that sounded. So her path had taken her to the chamber on the freighter that served as an improvised training room, the door opening with a mental command that activated the control panel via technopathic manipulation. Time to wreck things and test out some offensive mechu-deru.



Within moments she was facing three training remotes. The tiny little orbs, miniaturised droids, continously assailed her with stinging laser beams, swiftly moving out of the way and attacking from several angles. Her lightsabre, a blaze of crimson light, was in hand and slashed bolts out of the air. Sumiko was far from a blademistress, but she had some skill at defensive techniques, particularly blaster deflection.


The form of Soresu, contrary to popular belief, was not about becoming an impregnable wall that could withstand anything. It was just as much about proper footing and placement, knowing when to give ground, being where you needed to be at the right moment. The red blade moved as if it were an extension of herself, guided by the Force as it directed her to just the right place.


Bolts were cut out of the thin air, reflected into the walls or against remotes. Then suddenly with a flick of technopathic mentalism one of the remotes fell under her control and turned on the other two. The air was filled with the smell of burnt electronics and circuitry as the small orbs, one by one, fell. There was a warning in the Force, just enough for her to swiftly bend her body sideways and thus out of the immediate trajectory of a hail of blaster bolts that abruptly swept towards her as she was distracted. If she had not moved, they would have connected with her centre of mass and killed her, for they were live.


Outside, right at the entrance, stood a killer droid. An aged model, but still useful and effective. It was tall and spindly, looking a bit like a mechanical skeleton. Ironically enough it had belonged to a crime boss on Nal Hutta, who was now very dead. Sumiko had destroyed and rebuilt it with her power. A hailstorm of red-hot kill bolts leapt from the droid's wrist-worn mini-blasters.


As they peppered the wall behind her the machine quickly crossed the distance and charged, igniting a green lightsabre. The unit was faster than an ordinary human and expertly programmed. A grenade was tossed her way as she dodged the hail of kill-bolts, cutting some out of the air with her blade and deflecting them. As the grenade detonated upon the ground the room was suddenly filled with green-coloured gas, for it was a Forcebreaker. A clever tactic against force-users who made the mistake of not wearing a helmet or mask with gas filters and such. Unless you did what Sumiko immediately did: Hold your breath.


But the droid stepped in fast and launched a cut at Sumiko's head. The former Inquisitor managed to block and push the strike downward, though the droid quickly broke te contact. Then the machine chopped again, this time stronger and more powerfully. There was the smell of burnt and roasted flesh as it scored a slice in Sumiko's shoulder as she tried to duck under the powerful blow.


Pain was just weakness leaving the body. Sumiko grit her teeth, trying to gain some distance, as the droid lunged at her and swung the blade as she leapt in a backward somersault. She parried and riposted, angling a slash at the droid's sword arm, but was blocked. Once again the machine came at her like a bull, battering her defences with sheer strength, forcing her to dodge laterally as she fell into a defensive posture.


Stalemate, then the droid suddenly opened fire with its blaster. At close distance it was awfully difficult to block. The Force gave her a warning and she cart wheeled, the wall and the space she had vacated being riddled with bolts. Seizing an opening the droid launched a powerful kick into her knee that made her stumble and fall. Holding its lightsabre high above its mechanical skull, it rammed it down towards Sumiko, aiming to cleave her in half.


But Sumiko had recovered and she met the strike with her blade, locking them together, then sent a Force-empowered push to toss the machine across the room into the wall with a loud thud. In a blur she moved as the machine charged her once again, alternating cuts and thrusts as she drove the machine back. It brought up its other hand, the one that held the wrist-blasters, but she feinted a strike to the head and sparks flew as she suddenly spun and sliced the machine's hand off. As the droid came at her again she backflipped and in the same moment as her feet touched the ground exerted her power.


The droid's lightsabre came in a swipe for her legs and then...stopped. Machines could not feel emotion, but perhaps annoyance was not so alien to them, as the automaton tried to press the attack but...found its movement arrested. Not by the power of telekinesis, but by what amounted to a Force-based virus that invaded its very being and took control over its limbs. Beads of sweat were accumulating on Sumiko's face and the technomagical assault was a cause of strain, but she pressed on as she pushed her 'virus' to invade the droid's system. Virus was perhaps as good a description as any for what she did as she sought to capture the machine in her web and corrupt its mind.


It tried to launch countermeasures and deal with the invasion, but its anti-hacking protocols were obviously not designed to deal with something that amounted to black magic. Soon its body was hers and the machine stopped struggling entirely. Its eyes glowed a bright crimson as she assaulted its droid mind, overriding its protocols and implanting her own as she made it her own mechanical marionette. Brought under her control the machine stood down. Like the zombies she had encountered on Dxun, it was now ensnared in her web.

 

[Darth Libertas]

Silence reigned, for the machine was hers now. Its futile attempts at struggle had ceased and Sumiko took a breath, as she slowly relaxed and stopped actively exerting her power over it. A mechanical mind was most...interesting. In some ways she envied them, especially HRDs, for they were free of so many organic weaknesses. No emotional constraints, driven by logic and endowed with far superior processing power. But their logic was not....pure. She had seen this after discovering the megalomanical dreams of Archangel. How ironic that they despised organics as inferior beings, yet were so much like them.


Did she envy them for possessing something that came close to immortality? No, she did not. The greatest Sith Lords had relentlessly pursued the secret of gaining immortality and cheating death....yet in the end they had all been undone by it. Darth Andeddu had not escaped final death, Vitiate had turned into an insane mad god who pursued a pathetic dream of eating all life, Nihilus had not been a man but a freak. Plagueis had been brilliant, but what use had his experiments with midichlorians been when Palpatine struck him down?


As for the first Galactic Emperor himself, in the end he had not escaped the netherworld forever. His clones had been imperfect and decayed long before he met his end. They had all had one thing in common: Fear of death. "Life is struggle, death is our solace. Only a coward runs from the inevitable," she muttered to herself as she wiped some sweat from her forehead. But her reprieve was short, just as intended, for suddenly two droidekas appeared at the entrance to the chamber. Rapid-deployment killing machines, droidekas were ancient, but still useful enough to be produced even after almost a millennia. A combination of sheer momentum and sequeneced microrepulsors allowed the bronzium-armoured automatons to roll like balls then unfurl in a blink as tripoded gunfighters, shielded by individual deflectors and armed with paired, twin-barrelled, high-output blasters. The shields were powerful enough to resist lightsabres and give even heavy blasters and light artillery bolts pause.


Her lightsabre ignited in a blaze of crimson light as it slashed bolts out of the air. But in the cramped quarters there was little room to manoeuvre and she was finding herself under strong bombardment. Crates were grabbed by her telekinetic prowess and tossed forward to form an improvised barrier that was soon blasted apart. Her mind-controlled droid likewise ignited its blade, but its attempts to block the blasterfire was clumsy and unrefined as, though a killer droid, it was not trained for blaster deflection. Soon the machine was shaking and damage became evident as it was hit by blasts of laserfire, but its distraction proved useful.


Having weaved her way through the hail of blasterfire she reached out with her powers, utilising her technopathic might to manipulate one of the droidekas. To be more precise, her magical 'virus' exerted itself to trigger the shield of one of the destroyers to overload. She felt a painful sting that sent searing pain through her leg and stumbled but kept at it now with renewed fury and ferocity. The shield of the droideka flickered and shimmered, in the same moment her own battle droid collapsed into a crumpled heap, then it blew up in a beautiful explosion.


Since the second droideka was very close to its comrade, its was likewise engulfed by the blast and its shield flickered badly, still intact, but strongly weakened. But Sumiko was not done yet. Utilising the impossibly fast acrobatics of Ataru she leapt through the air at great speed, through the hail of bolts. As soon as her feet touched down the ground the droidekas spun, blasters levelled at her and ready to fire but then they...suddenly felt a force, an influence creep upon them and abruptly turned on each other, firing.

 

[Darth Libertas]

On a certain, admittedly somewhat puerile level, it was sort of fun to watch both droidekas blast the hell out of each other. Blaster bolt upon blaster bolt exited their twin-barelled, rapid-firing blasters. By now the air was already thick with ozone, the smell of burnt electronics and circuitry. All Sumiko had to do was stand back and watch the beautiful light-show that was being played out before her.



Mechu-deru was truly a beautiful art. She was not a master yet. Indeed, in many ways she was still a novice, but she was making progress and she believed she had the patience to see it through. The first droideka, the one whose shield she had blown up, was weakening, clearly heavily damaged and soon giving up the ghost, though the first had been struck as well now that its shield was not as strong as it once had been.


Sumiko watched the display for a moment, Dark Repair coursing through her body to help still the pain she was feeling and stitch. It was far from perfect healing. Indeed, the effect would dissipate once she was no longer applying herself and so she would need a bacta patch, but it sufficed for now as she used her power to control the pain that was giving her such trouble in her leg. When the first droideka finally collapsed her control slipped and the second one seemed...confused, as if its programming was unsure whether to stand down or turn on her. She clenched her hand into a fist as she focused, then brought down an invisible telekinetic hammer that smashed into the droid with a loud crunch and broke it, before she lobbed its head off with her lightsabre.

 

[Darth Libertas]

Before her lay three droids that had been turned to scrap. A few moments ago they had been useful training models, now they were just junk. Droid parts were littered across the floor ahead of her. The smell of ozone, burnt electronics, circuits and metal was strong in the air.


Technology was such a beautiful thing, or so Sumiko thought at least. Perhaps one day she could capture Moira Skaldi and enslave the bot. The Atrisian was not given to emotional displays but she allowed herself a smile at the thought of ensnaring the genocidal droid and forcing her back into servitude to an 'inferior organic'. Her mechu-deru senses tingled as she looked upon the pile of wreckage.


She stretched slightly, applying a bacta patch to the injured portion of her leg. Her eyes swept across the wrecked machines, then she drew upon the Force. The tangled web of infinite power responded to her pull and she drew it into her. Using her mechu-deru she began to warp and manipulate the various parts of the bipedal, skeletal looking killer droid that had been such a fun lightsabre sparring partner and then been blown up by the droidekas after having fallen under her direct control. Bit by bit the parts of the machine were being repaired, reassembled and fused together as if by magic. Legs, torso, then the power core was fixed and arms were attached.


However, it was not just a matter of reassembling the old droid, but fusing it with pieces from the two droidekas. Rather than merely having mini-blasters integrated into its wrists, the droid would now sport a rapid-firing heavy blaster taken from a droideka. Then using the Force she began to reassemble the power core and finally the chip. Reviving the chip was much like with the HRD's earlier, except that in this case she was not trying to get the robot's memory into her grasp, just seeking to bring it back to functionality. Moreover, she exerted her will to update its command tactical protocols, slowly infusing it with new knowledge of tactics to use in a fight. It would be quicker and more able to anticipate her moves, thus making it more useful as a sparring partner - or as a minion. Bit bit by bit, step by step, the pieces came together much like a jigsaw.


To be sure, the droid still looked rather battered and old when it stood before her, but it would serve its purpose. As she sent forth the command to reboot, a thought came to her: Maybe she could find a new body to house 'Fedorova' and use the HRD as a tool.

 

[Darth Libertas]

It was a decidedly mechanical reboot. The droid stood at complete attention, ramrod straight and rigid, when its eyes suddenly opened and glowed a menacing crimson. On automatism it it brought forth its integrated blaster cannon, but then abruptly lowered it as its protocols caught up with its programming. Mechanical eyes affixed upon Sumiko its droid mind ran through the complicated but seemingly immediate process of entering her as its mistress.


A good machine, controlled by her through invisible strings like a marionette. As it turned out, Sumiko liked her droids obedient. "Unit Alpha. Ready to serve, Mistress," it spoke mechanically...impassively. Voice without inflection.


"Good. Stand down. When we land, you will guard the ship. Lethal force against intruders," Sumiko commanded authoritatively. She would deal with the scrap that were the leftovers of the two droidekas later. Well, the parts she had not recycled by integrating them into the combat droid. It stood seemingly taller now and more powerful, with stronger weapons and enhanced murder protocols.


"By your command, Mistress," the robot spoke obediently. One of the reasons she liked machines when they were not genocidal HRDs trying to murder her and her kind. Without wasting any more time Sumiko turned on her heels and left the cargo hold of the freighter, her boots making little noise on the ground. Her path took her past her quarters, which contained the oubliette package that held the holocron of Sorzus Syn and the toys she had taken from Aesham's apartment, but that would not be her destination just now.


She came to a halt when she reached the cockpit before slipping into the pilot's chair. The ship jerked and emerged in real space with a roar as it shot out of the blue tunnel of hyperspace. It was all but impossible to use comms whilst in hyperspace, after all. Scans revealed that she had emerged in the orbit of an airless, lifeless moon. Likewise the entire system was devoid of life. Pianist fingers swept over the computer terminal as she wrote up a message and sent a heavily encrypted transmission. The freighter might be cheap but the encryption tech was the sort used by professional spies. In other words, criminals with a government paycheque.


Who was the recipient? The one and only [member="Mirien Valdier"]. "The blizzard has passed, the snowflakes have melted in the sun. The nest has been destroyed, the birds scattered. Two eagles remain. Is it time to leave the darkness? Lilith's crypt has been penetrated. Wu has evaded purgatory." Clearly all former Inquisitors were fond of terribly cryptic messages that meant next to nothing to you unless you were one of the initiated.

 

[Darth Libertas]

Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I can gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me.

Nwûl tash.
Dzwol shâsotkun
Shâsotjontû châtsatul nu tyûk
Tyûkjontû châtsatzk nu midwan
Midwanjontû châtsatul nu asha
Ashajontû kotswinot itsu nuyak
Wonoksh Qyâsik nun


Thus was the Code of the Sith. It was rumoured that Sorzus Syn had been its author, back in the ancient times when the Dark Jedi had subjugated the Sith species and proclaimed themselves their gods after discovering Korriban. If the Jedi had kept themselves from meddling and let the Republic execute the rogues after the civil war had ended, history might have been different.


But the Jedi followed a foolish code that dictated 'Jedi do not believe in killing prisoners. No one deserves executions, no matter what their crime.' Then again, someone else would have probably arisen and tried to harness the strength of the Dark Side. For it seemed axiomatic that the devotees of the 'Light' and the 'Dark' continuously make war upon one another, dragging the entire Galaxy into their religious conflict in the process. Primus Goluud, Katarr, Ziost if you counted the insane Emperor devouring all life upon the planet as a Sith act, Alderaan, in more recent times Donanyd, Rhommamool and Osarian, Vong shaping Alderaan...the list of atrocities committed by Sith Lords could go on and on. On the other side you had Pultimo's genocide attempt, Metalorn, Manaan...


Sumiko had long found both codes wanting, at least in their practical execution. Peace was a lie in the sense that life was struggle. Without conflict, there could be no growth or innovation, yet it did not always take the form of war. To think so was puerile. Passion could be a source of strength, such as hers for knowledge. But passion unrestrained without self-control and proportion was wasted and led to ruin. Then again, a case could be made for the idea that the average Sith had no clue about how to harness their passions beyond becoming the crude imitation of a Saturday morning cartoon villain.


It was not passion alone that gained strength. But intelligence, diligence, sense of proportion. What was the essence of harnessing the Dark Side if one focused purely upon this Code and divorced it from the Sith Orders of reality? To be free to do whatever was necessary to achieve what one desired. One's heartfelt desire need not be conquest and subjugation of worlds or pointless mass slaughter of sentient beings, for she wanted neither. Through her own determination, ruthlessness and the aid of the Force, her chains had been broken.


"I've got no strings on me. To hold me down," Sumiko muttered to herself as she stepped into her cabin, then suddenly chuckled. "Except those I impose on myself, those my own limitations place upon me." She was no longer an agent of the system, but her own woman. Far from all-powerful and by no means a player in the galactic scheme of things, but free to do what she wanted and live out her desires. The protect was both liberating and a bit intimidating. Being without orders, without a clearly defined purpose in life, a set of rules to define herself against, had been...disconcerting at the start. But now she could see the liberating potential of this form of freedom. Sumiko Tanaka bent to no one anymore.


To no Emperor, no Code. The only limitations she would accept where those sheer reality and her self imposed upon her. It was time to take another step into a larger world, as they say, and see what secrets the holocron of Sorzus Syn had preserved over the ages.


"Some would say it contains things man was never meant to know. That it is an artefact of evil and should be destroyed for the 'greater good'. Which is such a convenient way to justify one's own arrogance and claim righteousness. I say ancient magicks must be preserved and understood. Through understanding, I gain power. Wasn't it Palpatine who said that a Jedi gained power through understanding, but a Sith gained understanding through power?" she asked rhetorically, chucking lightly. "Of course, tried to escape the simple truth that death comes for us all. Megalomania and fear were his undoing."


It was time and so she rummaged in the closest before finding the oubliette backpack, which she opened. A moment later she pulled out a small, black stone pyramid. Sheer darkness and power radiated from it, to an almost intoxicating degree. Perhaps it was just her imagination running wild, but it felt to her as if a cold chill had swept through the room and dropped the temperature down a couple notches. She felt a surge of excitement course through her body as she beheld the holocron; a look of reverence was written upon her features as she ran her fingers over the artefact.


For she was here in the presence of history personified. One of the original Dark Jedi who had defied the Jedi Council and built up the Old Empire. A master of alchemy and sorcery, the woman who had forged the first Muur Talisman. Yes, Sumiko was sort of nerdgasming at this point in time. However, fangirling would do her little to no good. If she wished to learn the secrets of the dark lady, she would have to show she was worthy of this. If need be, she would have to take what she wanted by force. And so she took a breath, then set the holocron on the floor and likewise sat down in a meditative position, concentrating intently upon it. Time passed, then it began to glow, and abruptly the hologram of a darkhaired woman, eyes glowing a venomous yellow, dressed in robes the colour of the void, appeared above the small pyramid.


"I am Sorzus Syn, mistress of alchemy, forger of the Muur Talisman and Lord of the Old Empire. My beasts made the galaxy itself tremble before their might, I was god to Sith and mastered their arcane power. Who has the audacity to access my repository and come asking for knowledge?" The Dark Lady spoke commandingly, voice imperious and with a strong measure of haughtiness. "You are not Palpatine. Who are you, little girl? How much time has passed since my last activation?" It was most certainly not phrased as a question, but as a demand from a lady who expected her orders to be obeyed and was certain of her superiority. But this was something Sumiko could deal with. She had once worked for [member="Mirien Valdier"] after all.

 

[Darth Libertas]

"Well, girl. Speak! You are capable of speech, are you not? If you want to be worthy of me to spend time with you. Another scavenger eager for the crumbs of knowledge I might deign to toss out to you," Sorzus spoke with a strong degree of haughtiness.


No matter the imperious tone, Sumiko could not help feeling awed by the sight in front of her. This was one of the eleven Dark Jedi who had conquered the Sith and forged the First Empire. In a way, all those who used the Dark Side followed in their footsteps. However, she managed to get ahold of herself. It was just a bit like being a young acolyte in the Inquisition, trembling before Valdier and being eager not to earn her disfavour.


Except, Valdier could kill her. This was not really Sorzus Syn, just the holographic gatekeeper implanted with her personality. "I am Sumiko Tanaka, dark acolyte and seeker of knowledge. It was I who claimed your holocron in the tomb of Freedon Nadd by force of arms after slaying the monsters Palpatine had left behind." Well, Maja had helped a lot, but no need to mention that. "The Emperor has been dead for more than eight hundred years. Your holocron was lost since then."


The holographic Sorzus tilted her head slightly, her blood red lips curled into a sneer. "Dead, yes? I should not be surprised. Death comes to us all. It is only a matter of time. But the Dark Side is eternal. If you claimed this holocron through your own might then this discourse might be a modicrum worth my time. Tell me, girl. How did he find his end? Was it that brat Skywalker who ended him?"


Sumiko shook her head. "Nay, an ancient Jedi Master pulled Palpatine into the netherworld and eternally bound him when he tried to possess Anakin Solo, grandchild of Vader, in a last-ditch attempt to claim a new host after his clones were destroyed by a traitor. He was so powerful but in the end even he could not escape final death." There might have been a bit of a snarky tone in her words.


"Hmmph. And you think you are so much wiser than he and will avoid his fate, yes? Youthful arrogance. He was a remarkable Master of the Dark Side. One of the few worthy to be considered an equal to the Jen'jidai of old, a Sith'ari. But he was too obsessed with the Skywalkers. That mechanical wreck Vader was a sad old man and his son a brat who should have been slain at first opportunity. So speak, Sumiko, does the Dark Side reign once more? Have those who call themselves Sith risen again and cast the ignorant Jedi down into the abyss where they belong?"


Sumiko shrugged in response. "To an extent, yes. A Sith Empire arose on Korriban, modelled in some ways on the Old Empire, but it fell to a Jedi Crusade. But the Jedi, as is their wont, fell into stagnation and self-doubt, wasting time with moralising and self-doubt. A cult called the One Sith seized Coruscant and several core worlds."


There was a pause as the hologram pondered these words and absorbed the information. "I see," she hissed. "I can perceive you speak truth. Though their name is ridiculous. In my time Sith was what we called the species we, the Dark Jedi, the disciples of truth, bent to our will. They were slaves. Tell me these One Sith? Who is the Sith'ari they cleave to? Do they still adhere to the Way of the Sith?"


Sumiko sensed that maybe she could use this to get an opening and make Sorzus more accommodating. "No, Dark Lady. They are a fanatical cult united in devotion to one Dark Lord who is treated as a deity...but he is unseen. A group of Lords supposedly act as his Voices, transmitting his will to the Sith. They hand out Lord and Darth titles to the Cult members like candy. Personally I am inclined to believe the Dark Lord is a fraud. Perhaps even a projection. I'd wadger many Lords do not believe in him, but pay lip service for advancement."


"Disappointing. An unseen liege is not a true lord. A true one claims power and holds it through his might and example. A true acolyte of the Dark Side has no gods. She herself strives to become like one. The Old Empire was united in strengthn and passion. Mindless worship is for slaves. We who sought truth made war upon the Jedi because of their blind adherence to a narrow-minded code that kept them from understanding. If these One Sith have the finger ponderers on the run, I shall give them credit where it is due. Yet it was not one of them who claimed my holocron...but you. What are you really? Do you follow the true way?"


Sumiko did not waver as she looked the holographic depiction of the ancient Sith Lord in the eye, chin held high. When she spoke her tone was firm and determined. "I an acolyte of truth. Of the Dark, the Jedi in their narrow-minded ignorance would say. I come from a world where Force-users were held in bondage by mundanes and indoctrinated to be their instruments, living weapons. But I broke free of my chains and cast those down who'd try to use me. I follow no code or master except my own."

 

[Darth Libertas]

Sorzus' holographic expression showed no emotion beyond wry amusement. The wry of imperious superiority remained though. "Very droll. Mundanes will always fear and try to control their betters. Did they control you severely, child?" she asked. Her tone had softened though. It was less confrontational and commanding. More like a parent speaking to a child.


"I imagine you could say that." Carefully she lifted her shirt, exposing only her low back and with it, a thin long scar running along her spine. Her voice gained a bitter undercurrent as she started to speak again. "Beneath that scar, used to be a tracker, a disabling device as well as a kill switch all rolled into one. They were not very trusting. Understatement."


"Fascinating," Sorzus hissed. "Did they ever have cause to it on you or did you meekly accept your fate like a drone?"


A sensation of anger rose inside Sumiko like bile in her stomach, but she clamped down on it. "I tried to escape several times at the start. Agony surged through my entire body when they activated the device, paralysing. For my disobedience, my face was strapped to a cage filled with rats, then my boss lit a fire at the other end of the rats' cage and let them scratch and bite my face while watching a heart rate monitor hooked up to her." She suppressed a shudder as she relayed the tale. "I was left to stand in a tiny cell chained up for hours on end, denied food and water. Then, still suffering from beatings, I was sent on a mission to kill a traitor."


The holographic lips of Sorzus curved into something like a smile. "Good, good," she spoke, her voice dripping with venom. "Then you have known pain and humiliation. I know you speak truth. You cannot achieve greatness if you have not been brought low. Too many acolytes of truth have had it easy. They think it is all about giving in to your anger, blind rage and all that rot. Or just making monsters for the hell of it. Fools. You rose high in this organisation, child?"


In a way Sorzus was right. What had not killed Sumiko had made her stronger. In a twisted way being with the Inquisition had been for her benefit. "The Inquisition, Dark Lady. And yes I did. I was an officer charged with hunting down heretics - anyone who disobeyed the Emperor. I infiltrated darkside cults like the Bando Gora. Cannibalistic, human-sacrificing Chaos worshippers. I had to undergo...tests to prove my worth." At that she rolled up the sleeve of her right arm and displayed her forearm, showing the Mark of Chaos. It had quite literally been branded into her flesh. Darkness radiated from it, for dark alchemy had been involved. "From them I learnt the art of bending and warping machinery to my will. Then I subdued my teacher and betrayed her to the Inquisition."


"Pain is just weakness leaving the body. Damage to the mortal shell is nothing compared to the power of the Force. How did you escape this Inquisition...this cult? Tell me every detail." Now Sorzus seemed genuinely interested by the tale.


There was a flicker of something on Sumiko's face. A trace of emotion? Though very lacking in things such as conscience and morality she was not made of stone. The horrible events on Atrisia had affected her in many ways. For on that day she had lost family. But she clamped down on the feeling and focused. "Our Emperor made the stupid decision to attack a neighbouring empire, then had to run away with his tail between his legs. We were absorbed by a vaguely Sithian nation called the Fringe, a collection of darkside anarchists, and he was blown up by a terrorist. His cousin took over and ordered that all force-users be purged. I was among those captured."


"Did they hurt, child?" The Sith Lord seemed to be enjoying this.


Sumiko swallowed. "Yes, a lot. I endured tests and experiments to find out how...force-users tick. Designed to break me. But I escaped...during the chaos after the Empress was assassinated. While the planet burnt I fought my way out of the dungeon...and the rest is history. Now I cleave to no one but myself and I fought to gain this holocron with my blood."


Sorzus, ancient Sith lord and alchemist, nodded. "Yes. You paid the iron price. Not the golden one. That is good. Tell me, seeker, how far are you willing to go in your quest for knowledge? How many sacrifices are you willing to make?" The smile could only be described as cruel, as could the glow in her sulfuric eyes. It was like looking upon a demon.

 

[Darth Libertas]

"Nothing comes without a price. Especially not knowledge over the dark arts. I will go as far as I have to in order to attain it. I've betrayed, I've murdered and tortured and truth be told, I regret none of it, if that's what you ask," Sumiko said firmly, standing her ground and not flinching as she stared into eyes that seemed like a window to the void.


"Truly? Those fingers of yours have killed and are coated in blood. More than you can wash away, child. But power is nothing without purpose. What is it you wish to attain? Vengeance on those you allowed to enslave you, temporal power and title?" Sorzus challenged. Her voice was as sharp as the crack of a whip.


"Knowledge, answers, truth, the Force: those are the things I hold dear. Titles don't interest me. Sic transit gloria. And there is more to power than governance over planets. Sith Lords squabble over planets, I shall master the arcane secrets and outlive them."


Maybe it was just Sumiko's imagination but all of a sudden it felt like it had become a hell of a lot colder in the room. A gust of a wind, numbing and chilling to the bone, swept through the room as the temperature dropped rapidly. Frost seemed to gather on the ceiling and the walls and the Atrisian found to her surprise that she was shivering badly, though she tried her best to keep it under control.


"Mind your tone, girl. You speak of mastery over the dark powers, but you know nothing of them. You are like a child standing in the shadow of giants, yet deluded enough to think of yourself as them. A true Master of the Dark Side conquers and prevails. What are you, a mere chronicler and a scavenger of others' glory? A librarian, that is what you wish to be? Preposterous."


Frost was accumulating upon her skin and she shivered through the cold, but tried to focus. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but it felt like razor sharp needles were digging into her skin, extreme pain surging through her body. Breathing became more and more difficult with each passing moment.


"I am what I am. You have seen how empires rise and fall, how almost everyone of them was a pale imitation of the one your brethren forged. What was the greatest masterwork of yours? Not subjugating the primitive Sith, but unearthing their secrets and surpassing them to create the Muur Talisman and beasts that made the Galaxy tremble. That is the knowledge I seek. Those who call themselves Sith did not even have the sense to seek you out. I did. I can carry on your legacy to create artefacts worthy of your name. Without mindlessly bending a knee to an unseen Dark Lord. I will take what I want, live a life of freedom and smite those who would gainsay me. The Code you penned dictates that to be a Master of the Dark Side is to break free of all chains. Including those your narrow-minded fellow brethren..." Suddenly she was spread out on the floor and shaking terribly. It felt to her as if she was suffering from a stroke, so horrible was the painful agony her body was being subjected to. She could not breathe, she could not think or act as the dark power gripped her...


"Enough!" The voice was so powerful that it was like the sound of a cannon boom, echoing across the freighter. "Do not lecture me on my Code, girl." Then suddenly it was all over and the room had turned to normal once more. Her hand instinctively went to her sore throat and rubbed it. Likewise the frost had disappeared. It had all just been in her mind. "But you have audacity and afford me a measure of amusement. One day you will burn out, but I like you. Tell me, 'seeker of knowledge', what would you seek from a woman who was god to dark lords?" The gatekepeer asked with a venomous hiss. If Sumiko had been as strong as [member="Mirien Valdier"] she would not have put up with this patronising crap. She would have simply mind raped the holocron and taken what she wanted. But not...yet. The gatekeeper is only going to toss me scraps of knowledge, keeping me hungering for more while she tries to mould me in her image or for her amusement. But that shall not happen. When the time comes I shall suck her dry and take everything for myself. Thus also proving to her I was worthy, Sumiko thought to herself.

 

[Darth Libertas]

"The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be...unnatural." So Supreme Chancellor Palpatine was supposed to have once said to Anakin Skywalker, the fallen Jedi knight he corrupted into an instrument of his will.


Truth be told, Skywalker had never impressed Sumiko much. Oh, sure, he had been a terror on the battlefield, a powerful warrior and slaughtered countless Jedi. But it had all been so...crude. Moreover, to be frank, as far as she was concerned he had just been an enforcer. Not successor materiel. Then again, it was doubtful to her that Palpatine had ever intended to have one, given how driven he was by a desire to live forever and become an immortal God-Emperor.


The point still stood, though. The Dark Side was a path to power and greatness, but it could just as easily be your undoing. Sooner or later, no matter how powerful and strong in the Force you became, Death would catch up with you. Even the apex predators of the jungle perished one day. So it had been with those who came before her, so it would be with her. However, strangely enough she was fine with that.


"I seek knowledge of Sith magicks and alchemy. To channel the gift of the Force to warp the minds of sentients who oppose me, shape reality and to master the alchemical sciences. I wish to learn the secret to craft talismans and artefacts of arcanic power. Devices that will outlive me and be my legacy."


"An interesting choice. Metallurgical alchemy then. Have you no desire to learn of biological manipulation to bend life itself to your whim. It was I who created the powerful Leviathans and unleashed their might upon the Jedi during the Hundred Year Darkness. Then again, you are not ready for that. Perhaps you might not even ever be worthy of that great mystery."


Truth be told, Sumiko was less interested in that aspect of Sith alchemy. Perhaps having spent time amongst the Bando Gora meant that she was not really in the mood to twist and shape animals into monstrosities. Something about it...sat wrong with her. A flare of conscience perhaps? After all, she had been genuinely disgusted by the pointless torment Naamah had inflicted upon her human 'pets'. "As you say, Dark Lady. It is in metallurgical alchemy that I believe my talent would lie. Besides, alchemised beasts are too common for these days for there to be much originality." Word was that the One Sith had decided it would be a swell idea to create a 2km worm, disregarding the fact that as soon as it tried to go planetside gravity would tear it apart.


"Doubtless the quality of modern alchemy has much degraded since the ancient times," Sorzus said a bit pompously. Sumiko was smart enough not to say anything about the impressive achievements of a certain Rave Merrill and Akure Exeutive Leatherworks. One wondered whether the ancient Sith Lord would have liked to visit a terentatek farm and claim it or what she would have thought about a coat made out of the leathery hide of Lotek'k.


"Sith sorcery is an innate gift available to few. You cannot just learn it in the same way you would do any aspect to the Force, you must have a natural connection to darkness, to the force of truth and enlightenment to harness it. The Force can be bent to your will. But there is a cost. The most powerful rituals of the dark side exact a toll that few are willing to pay. Life abhorrs weakness. Try to harness the dark magicks without the strength and you shall be undone."


Sumiko nodded. Truth be told all the bluster and threats were annoying her a tad, though she clamped down on that feeling for the time being. Her time would come soon enough. "I know. 'Tis a risk I am ready to pay."


As usual Sorzus was eager to be encouraging because ancient Sith Lords excelled at pep talks. "If you fail it shall be to my amusement and I shall wait for someone worthier to find me. For alchemy there are several implements you need to acquire before we can move forth. A forge, a furnace, metal, crystal and tools. Do you have any knowledge of metallurgy, girl, or do I have to teach you that as well?" The tone indicated that if she had to Sorzus would not be pleased about it in the least. It seemed that the gatekeepers of the holocrons of ancient Sith Lords were not the friendly sort.


Sumiko responded with a nod. "Then doubtless you'll be relived that you won't have to. I learned the basics from a Yoshvin Swordsman. So you won't have to lower yourself to teach it to me, Dark Lady. I've also learned the Sith language." No, she was not being snarky at all. Maybe not the best idea but all the pompousness was starting to grate on her nerves. Predictably Sorzus, or rather the holographic form of the gatekeeper that looked like the Sith Lord, narrowed her eyes.


"Your snark and misplaced arrogance is not appreciated. If you have a modicum of ability at metallurgy at least I do not have to waste my time teaching it to you. For now, focus upon the Force and turn your gaze inward. Harness the self, your passion and your drive. Commune with the Dark Side of the Force. Allow your passions to burn brightly like a star. Everything that is not of the Dark Side will be purged - or tainted. Stretch out with your senses as you feel the Force inside the ship. Even the metal and the machines that you surround yourself with. Feel past the ship into the fathomless void. Do not look back when the abyss gazes into you. When you have communion, I shall teach you the first words of power. If you are unworthy you shall be unmade." As the Atrisian began concentrating intently an unnatural darkness to settle across the room and spread throughout the entire ship. The lights above dimmed to naught but a mere whisper of spark and a cold gale churned through the chamber, chilling her down to the very bone, for so great was the cold. But she did not allow this to stop her meditation as she steeled herself, staring into the black emptiness of the void. Little could Sumiko know that from outside danger was approaching and that she would be tested very soon. For though the scanners of her freighter had not picked up any life forms in the vicinity upon entering the system, danger lurked and was coming closer.

 

[Darth Libertas]

An unnatural darkness had descended upon the chamber. Indeed, it was not just one room that was affected, for the palpable darkness suffused and permeated the entire ship as Sumiko communed with the Dark Side. It had become very cold inside the room. Was it just her imagination, a trick the Dark Side was playing on her mind or had it truly become this cold? Either way, the sudden and profound shift in temperature certainly felt real to her and so soon Sumiko was shivering and feeling her limbs turn weak and sluggish. Her breathing became more and more laboured as the Dark Side choked the air, seemingly threatening to cut off her flow of oxygen. Her heart beat rapidly but the blood that was pumped into her brain was only coming slowly. For a moment it felt like her blood vessels were being clogged. So cold...


"Do not fear the cold. Do not avert your eyes. This is communion, a sacred rite. Reveal your inmost face before the Dark Side. Here the wheat is separated from the chaff," Sorzus spoke, her voice strangely distant and alien, with an almost ethereal quality to it. Words not spoken in Galactic Basic, but in the Dark Tongue of the ancient Sith. There was an eldritch, sinister quality to them. And so Sumiko, despite the massive pressure and strain she was under, did as instructed.


As her body seemed to fail and pearls of frost permeated it, as the powerful presence of the Dark Side threatened to clog the air, she turned her gaze inward. "Luminous beings we are, not this crude matter." So Yoda had supposedly once said to Luke Skywalker during the latter's training in the swamp planet of Dagobah. The body may fail, but there was the Force. Living matter was something that was shaped and warped by those who possessed the great gift and the determination to wield it. Her gaze turned ever inward as she shrunk her focus bit by bit.


As she had been told she forced her mind to focus on her desires and let her passions run loose. Soon rather than coldness it was warmth she felt. Pure warmth as her passions burned as brightly as a star. An inner fire had been lit inside her, one that would not be quenched and so she stoked the flames of her passion. For just a moment she allowed herself to let go and let her dreams run wild, unrestrained passion for knowledge.


The briefest of visions flashed through her mind as Sorzus spoke to her in the Dark Tongue, conveying to her the passages of glory in her life, telling her of the monsters she had created through her own magicks, of the lives she had once held in her grasp, her battles with the Jedi and her quest to unearth the secrets of the ancient Sith after subjugating them. The screams of the dead assaulted Sumiko's mind, so loud that it felt like her eardrums were being burst, but she did not try to blot them out. The Force revealed to her Ajunta Pall declaring himself Sith'ari, the first of the Dark Lords of the Sith, and she saw Sorzus forge the three Great Amulets of Power, the most potent of which she kept for herself, how she raided the ancient sanctuaries of the Sith on Ziost and discovered the holocron of King Nagruk. The secrets of the Sith became hers and she harnessed their power.


Her heartbeat was racing and beads of sweat accumulated on her face and back despite the cold, likewise her hands were trembling, but still Sumiko concentrated and pressed on as she stretched out with her mind to grasp the power of the Dark Side and pulled it into her. The holocron of Sorzus whispered inside her mind, whispers in the Dark Tongue as she taught her the words of power and incantations for the basic Sith spells. Techniques to manifest an aura of unease to compel sentients to turn away from her presence and to summon fear in the hearts of men.


Sumiko cried out as sharp shards penetrated her skull and then went for her nervous system, excruciating pain surging through her body as the Dark Side tested her strength, but she persevered. For the Dark Side does not give up its secrets easily. Those who wish to gain its favour must woo and wrestle with it, proving themselves again and again. She felt like she was falling into a fathomless void, a pit from which there was no escape, but then she surged upward like a phoenix of blackness, burning brightly and for a moment the Inquisitor was reminded of an old tale, namely that of Daedalus and Icarus. Icarus had flown too closely to the sun and fallen to his death into the sea after his wings burnt out, for they had been made of wax. Would she burn out like this as well? By playing with powers beyond her comprehension, something that man was not meant to know?


She instantly banished these heretical thoughts from her mind. It was her will that decided. Fear was the little mind-killer, the slow death. Knowledge, no matter the source, was meant to be discovered, understood, categorised and mastered. It was all in her grasp...she need only reach, and so she meditated as Sorzus spoke to her. The Darkness was now no longer a foe that seemed to hold her life in a grip so tight it felt like she would extinguish it, but rather it was a companion. The void wrapped itself around her and she welcomed its embrace, pulling it around her body like a cloak. "It is by your will that the Force is set in motion. The Force is life and darkness exists in all living things. Even in the brightest light there is a shadow and it grows ever stronger the more the forces of self-righteousness struggle against it. The words of power I have conveyed to you are just that...words, but they bring forth power both dark and terrible if you fill them with the energies of the Force. Blood itself is power and life, the essential source for alchemicy and rituals of magic."

 

[Darth Libertas]

Fully focused and immersed within the Force, Sumiko tasted power. The abyss, a fathomless void of black emptiness, stared into her and she did not look back. "A gaping pit waiting to swallow us all. Chaos isn't a pit. Chaos is a ladder." Now at least she understood the meaning of these words. Many who tried to climb the ladder fell off and never made another attempt...but she would climb it. There was no secret that could not be unlocked, no mystery that could not be understood through sufficient time, intellect and dilegence. The cold no longer bothered her, for the dark energies suffused and sustained her.


However, in her deep meditation Sumiko had turned her gaze so far inward that she had lost sight of what was without. If she had not been so focused upon herself and on meditating upon the Dark Side she would have probably sensed the danger approaching. As it was she ignored all the warnings, even those sent by her faithful guardian droid, until it was almost too late.


All of a sudden the freighter rocked and quaked as if struck by explosions, alarm sirens blared loudly and such was the force of the impact that she was abruptly sent flying and collided into a wall. Ouch. Blunt traum hurt. Her head was spinning and her vision grew hazy for several short moments before she snapped out of it and regained a measure of control of herself and shook herself.


"Shields and engined damaged. Multiple impacts. Boarders have penetrated the vessel," the dispassionate, mechanical voice of the ship computer reported to her what she already knew. And then suddenly Sumiko at last as she stretched out with her senses. Multiple presences had penetrated the ship, probably using zero-G equipment to land upon the hull and penetrate the airlock, venting valuable atmosphere in the process. The holographic image of Sorzus looked almost amused at what had transpired. "Very convenient. Now you have opponents to test yourself against. Survive and prevail or perish. The Force abhors weakness." Then the hologram dissipated into nothingness as the holocron was switched off.


She was getting to her feet with a groan when suddenly a masked figure was upon her, crimson lightsabre in hand. The presence radiated the power of the dark side, though it seemed like the intruder was only an acolyte and not yet that strong in the Force. Eyes glowed a bright blue through slits inside the mask. An unnatural rage stirred inside Sumiko. Fuelled by the pain she had felt from being knocked into the wall, for she had felt something like ribs break in the process. Immersed in the dark side as she was, her eyes had turned into wells of blackness, pure obsidian.


Blood is life, blood is power. As it happened the crash against the wall had hurt her hand and now its open palm was cut open and splattered with blood. Acting on pure instinct and letting the power of the Dark Side wash over her, Sumiko stretched out to seize the mind of the intruder in a vice grip. The blood seeping out of her wound turned a dark crimson as she spoke an incantation of power in the Dark Tongue of the Sith. Tearing at the sanity and consciousness of her victim with the slices of multiple razors, she worked to ensnare and trap him inside a web of horrors, much like a spider would. It was not the onslaught of a battering ram, but multiple surgical strikes with a scalpel that pierced his psyche.


The intruder's lightsabre came down upon her with the force of a hurricane then suddenly...stopped as the dark acolyte found himself caught inside her web. Of course, he struggled with all his will but she persisted. Primal fear and terror took ahold of her attacker as she managed to bring out a fear of...death by being spaced. It would appear as if an explosion had suddenly breached the hull and cruelly pulled him into the vast nothingness as she drew upon the forbidden magicks. Fright and terror would be induced into his mind as she harnessed the dark power. There was naught but darkness in her eyes as she wove her web, pulling him further and further into the illusion. You will die, you are out in the cold void...freezing to death. You cannot breathe anymore...your comrades are all dead. There was the Force behind her voice as she spoke in the malevolent tongue of the Sith and she clenched her bloodied hand into a fist, nails digging inside her bruised skin as she cast her spell. The intruder stumbled and his lightsabre clattered to the ground, deactivating uselessly since it was no longer being used.


His terror-induced daze only lasted for a few seconds. A master of the darker side of mentalism would have been able to make it last a lot longer, probably also cause her victim to lose consciousness and fall into a comatose state, but Sumiko was not that strong. However, a few seconds was also she needed in order to jump to her feet, surge forward, grip the suffering acolyte and snap his neck in what seemed like a blur.


His body fell to the ground with a loud thud and with a telekinetic pull she called his lightsabre into her hand, igniting it in a blaze of crimson light with a snap-hiss. One attacker down and she felt nothing...the cold was familiar and very welcome. Outside of her room she could hear noise, the sounds of battle. Her guardian droid had detected more intruders and was falling upon them. Good machine, hopefully it would not be destroyed. Lightsabre in hand she pulled at the tangled web of the Force to wrap herself in the shadows and let them cloak her, then moved outside of the door. Everyone who had dared to board her ship would perish.

 

[Darth Libertas]

Outside of a cabin a furious, violent battle raged. Two intruders faced off against her guardian droid, their sabres humming as they clashed blade upon blade, a duel aided by the fact that the lightsabres were almost weightless. The machine was putting up a good fight, striking with great strength and precision but the Sith intruders were powerful and swift with the blade. The machine was showing some signs of damage from being attacked with lightning. Time for her to step in and so she quickly snuck up, still cloaked inside the shadows conjured up by the Force. One moment before she struck she allowed her cloak to weaken as she used her mechu-deru to convey a message to the droid, which thereupon pressed its attacks with a series of powerful blows to batter at the defences of its opponents.


"Aaargh...," one of the intruders suddenly screamed in pain when her crimson lightsabre was rammed through his back and protruded out of his chest. The sizzling blade of crimson light cut through his torso like a hot knife through creamty butter.


Sumiko withdrew the blade sharply as the dark acolyte staggered and spat up goblets of blood. His companion, who now suddenly found himself being driven back by the machine and with his comrade dead, was shocked and then got his blade knocked out of his grasp when the droid suddenly peppered him with blaster bolts at close range, then cleaved him from shoulder to ribcage with its lightsabre.


The Atrisian felt a warning through the Force at the right moment when a third Sith thrust his blade at her and she parried it downward. A painful Force-reinforced kick to the knee pushed her back hard and made pain shoot through her but then she called upon her telekinetic power to seize the attacker by the throat and hold him in a grip as tight as a droid's pincer. As she tightened her hold to choke the life out of her opponent she was suddenly forced to her knees when a torrent of blue-white lightning suddenly swept through the air and engulfed her.


She shook strongly as the lightning struck her, as if she was suffering from a heart attack while she tried to call upon the Force to conjure up a shield. Her droid minion was forced to its knees by the onslaught, with important circuits being destroyed, which gave the Sith from earlier a chance to break away and face off against the machine, keeping it from doing something against the lightning-using Sith.


Out of the darkness into which the hall had been bathed in, her enemy emerged. She was a Zabrak whose face was marked with intricate tattoos, symbols of her allegiance to the Dark Side and the Sith faith, she was clad in obsidian armour, a green lightsabre was in her grasp. "You are not a true Sith worthy of the holocron. It shall be mine," she hissed, her words dripping with venom, eyes ablaze with fury as she called upon the Dark Side to strengthen and animate her. Somehow the Sith had known she possessed the holocron and followed her here. Various thoughts would have raced through her mind to come up with an answer, but that would have to wait because she was rather preoccupied.


As Sumiko reeled on the ground and tried to rally herself, she managed to blot out the lightning surging towards her, but then before she could move to counterattack she found herself struggling when orange tendrils leapt from the Zabrak's hand towards her. As the tentacles of malevolent power laid purchase upon her body, she grit her teeth as she felt her strength being leeched and her will sapped. The Sith was like a force vampire, seeking to drain the life from her and leave her a husk. Bit by bit, she felt herself growing weaker and her limbs more sluggish as the malignant energies took effect and sought to quite literally suck her dry, dissipating her strength into nothingness.


Rage and hatred arose inside her, like a star about to go supernova, as she sought to catch herself. Control, she needed control. Lashing out blindly like a wild animal risked causing more damage than was practical. She needed something to split her opponent's concentration and so she unleashed pain. It came in form of several sharp, mental claws that aimed to slice across her victim nerve endings and into its mind to tear her brain into a hundred pieces. Not much in terms of subtlety, but she lacked the concentration for that. Even if the Sith was good at mentalism, she could not protect her mind and maintain the Force Drain attack at the same time. Hunger was surging up inside Sumiko, the drain had awakened something vicious inside her.