Darkness Reincarnate

[Alexia Sturkov]

Location: Tatooine, Anchorhead

A slight breeze whipped through the sandy streets, rocky boulevards, and stone courts of Anchor head. The heat of the twin suns beat down on all who walked the planet’s surface. Sweat glistened on their foreheads, dripped from their bodies, and evaporated before it could hit the ground. Some would call the planet cursed; with its intense heat, incredibly high crime rate, and threat from the sand people. Merchants in small stalls lined every street, part shops, selling everything from droid parts to pod racer engines, sat on every corner. Venders pushed carts of food down the street while shouting their wares. Old spacers and veteran fighter pilots past their prime sat in the many dingy bubs and taverns that dotted the city. The city seemed so alive but at the same time so full of death. A man murdered in an alley, a woman robbed and killed when the thief’s blaster went off in the struggle, An Hutt crime lord’s assassin silently killed a competitor. To most this planet would appear as a haven for any criminal, but that was not so. This was Tatooine, not Nal Shadda, There were saviors mingled with the demons. A local law enforcer who valiantly gave his life to protect a old man from a group of thugs, a part owner gave parts away for free to help a poor man rebuild his delivery speeder, and there were even rumors of jedi at work on the god forsaken planet.

But this is not a story of good against evil, or even comparing the two. This is a story of daggers in the shadows, unspeakable evil, murder, and death. This is a story about a woman who went from being only a servant of darkness to the devil reincarnated. She will become such an envoy of evil that the darkest, most despicable people in the galaxy would shake in fear at the mere mention of her name. You may be wondering who this demon of a woman is. In a past life she was known as Jezreal Darkshard; A member of a group of people who used the force in evil ways, known as the darkside. In a deadly battle the woman died, her body withered away, but her soul lived on. A soul that became completely corrupted by the very dark energy that kept it alive. A soul that learned much as it floated between the stars; whispers in the night, dark secrets long forgotten, and events of great evil. But it was not content with simply knowing such secrets without being able to put them to use. The soul of the woman wished to return to the living plain, as it had done when it had inhabited a body. It searched for a new body, one that would serve it’s purposes, a body not only lithe and young, but strong and skilled, as well. At last she found a body in which fulfilled her specifications to the uttermost. This is a story about how something so corrupt that neither Hell nor death could hold it. This is a story about how that very soul returned to the realm of the living, to plague it with it’s evil and darkness. Perhaps this is the bringer of the apocalypse, or a envoy of an angry god, or a demon who escaped from the pits of hell. But no, this is a story of a real woman, who lived, breathed, and died. This is a story about a woman who defeated death and rose again. This is her story.

[Alexia Sturkov]

Now back to tatooine

On Tatooine, of all the criminal groups: there is one that is worthy of mention. An order of female assassins known as the Red Sisters. This elite group of killers is among the best in the known galaxy; employed primarily by the hutts and other crime lords, but also by the average man who wanted someone knocked off. Zurga the hutt employs a small group of Red Sisters to serve as his personal bodyguards. Trained in stealth techniques, weapon combat, and martial arts; The Red Sisters are as fierce and deadly a krayt dragon but as fast and agile as a sand panther at the same time. The top Red Sister, known as the Matron Mother, receives the requests and assigns them to the Red Sister that she believes in best for the job. No two Red Sisters are the same. Some value greater strength and power over agility and stealth, others are brilliant tacticians and carefully plan their attack to the finest detail, and some have mastered the use of toxins and poisons. Some rarities include the use of blaster and other laser weapons. Most Red Sisters prefer to use weapons such as a knife, short sword, shuriken, and on occasions; a bow.

You may be wondering why this is important. Well the simply truth is that it is important. Because that hell ridden soul I spoke of before has had its eye on a Red Sister. You may be wondering why. It is quite simply. Its previous body having died and withered away; the soul seeks a new body, a body of power and skill, such as is possessed by a Red Sister and it wants to claim such a body for itself. With such a body the demonic soul would be able to kill with ease, wipe out cities, and destroy planets. But the body still had limits, as did all mortal bodies. But the dark soul’s power was boundless; But unable to effect the living realm without being part of it, and to be part of the living world it needed a vessel; a living body. Once inside the body, though, its power would have to take on the boundaries of the body and have to be content with only a fraction of the power it once held.

[Alexia Sturkov]

Now back to the Red Sisters

Yes, I’m talking about that elite assassin group we discussed a moment ago. Of the near hundred Red Sisters; only one interested the wandering soul; the young and powerful body of a human woman known as Alexia Sturkov. This assassin from corellia seemed almost too perfect for the soul’s desires. The soul moved through space and time as it homed in on the location of the assassin of choice.

To the eyes of mortals the wandering spirit would appear as a globe of vibrant white light. Many heads turned to watch the strange spectacle float down the street. As soon as it was it passed the watchers suddenly forgot they’d seen and go back to their work. The soul would pass through walls and other solid objects as if they didn’t exist. To the soul; they didn’t. Nothing existed for the soul was not part of the living realm, only passing through it. It floated up to the entrance of the Black Womprat tavern and traveled straight through the door and into the dimply lit tavern. Most of the patrons dismissed the ball of light as only being a sign that they’d had too much to drink. The spirit started to drop and went right through the floor. It entered the basement of the tavern but didn’t stop there. It kept sinking until passed through the floor once again. Very few knew that there was a level under the basement of the tavern and ever fewer knew how big that level was. It was large and sat under several buildings and had more secret entrances then the Royal Palace on Onderon. The soul stopped in the middle of a hallway and then moved forward. It homed onto the life essence of the assassin as a sand panther follows its prey by smell. It passed through a door and there in the small dark room; on the small bed; under the covers; laid the sleeping form of the assassin. The light cast by the spirit awoke the woman; who sprung from her bed with a knife in her hand.

[Alexia Sturkov]

Alexia stared at the spectacle that floated above the floor of her sleeping chamber. She hid her fear from her face but it was stilled portrayed in her eyes. The orb of light fluctuated in vibrancy and then sunk down to the ground. Suddenly the light changed shape and the image of a young woman stood before the assassin’s gaze. The young woman glowed with a light blue color, her dark hair, blue-green eyes, beauty, and calm expression was odd to the assassin. Alexia had to act fast. She did not know what this being was but it was clear to her that it couldn’t have come on a friendly grounds. She threw herself forward and brought her knife up for a stab to the throat. Her knife passed right through the ghostly image. Her balance was thrown off; causing her to stumble and then fall, passing right through the ghostly woman.

Alexia jumped back to her feet and attacked with her knife again, no result. She attacked again, ditto in the result department. The ghostly woman watched with mild amusement in her eyes as each attack passed through his protoplasmic body. Alexia alternated between knife strikes, kicks, and punches. Despite the fact that her attacks were not connecting with anything; Alexia continued to throw everything she had against the ghost. At last she stopped. Sweat dripped down the length of her bare body and her fiery red hair was plastered to her face, her chest heaving with heavy breaths, her body tense, and her green eyes starring at and through the ghost.

The ghost’s body moves as if chuckling, but no sound is heard. A smile spreads across it’s face and then it starts walking towards Alexia, who backs up to the wall. The ghost’s smile doesn’t face as it closes in, nor does it face when Alexia is trapped against the wall, nor does it fade when it stopped in front of Alexia and raised its arm. The index finger of that hand enfolded and touched Alexia’s forehead. There was a weird fuzzy static feeling right before the finger touched and everything went black when the finger passed through her forehead.

[Alexia Sturkov]

An eternity passed before the darkness began to wane. Alexia found herself lying in a dark room. She rose to her feet and attempted to see through the gloom, to no avail. Suddenly all around her; torches were suddenly lit, but their orange glow was unable to chase away all the darkness. Alexia looked around the chamber in a new prospective. There were no walls, but crisscrossing bars formed the ‘walls’ of the room and only darkness was visible beyond them. Somehow, she knew exactly where she was. She was in her mind. Somehow the ghost’s touch had pulled her from her body and placed her in her own mind. The bars symbolized how she had always kept her emotions imprisoned, the torches, her fiery nature, and the darkness was just that, her darkness. How evil and dark her life was. She was amazed by its intensity. A bright light emanated from the center of the room. A brilliant white orb floated high off the ground. This was her life essence. Without it she would be a husk, a shell.

A noise behind her caused her to spin around and become face to face with the ghost woman, only now she was solid. What is she doing in my mind? Alexia wondered as she took a step back from the gloomy faced woman, the woman followed Alexia’s retreat. Then Alexia realized the answer to her question. The woman was here to steal her life essence and claim her mind. A smile spread across the face of the woman as if she knew what Alexia knew, and perhaps she did, “Never!” Alexia shouted and took a defiant stance.

The woman’s smile became a sinister grin “Very well, mortal. If you will not surrender then I am forced to unleash all my true form against you.” With that said the woman closed her eyes and her features started to change. She grew taller, her fair skinned darkened, her canines became sharp fangs, her fingers became razor sharp talons, spikes sprouted from her shoulders, elbows, knees, and from her forehead, while Her hair became as black as the darkness beyond the room. Strangely crafted armor appeared on her body and a gigantic sword appeared in her hand. Finally a pair of large black leathery wings erupted from her back. Her eyes opened, their color having turned to a sickly yellow, and fixed their terrible gaze down at Alexia. “Your time has come, mortal.”

Alexia took a step backward, fear and horror filled her. How could she challenge such a being of power, who’s darkness and evil surpassed her own by such an incredible amount. She tore her gaze from the monster before her and looked down at the ground. Just then she saw the gleaming black armor that covered her, the blades on her belt and at her side, and her own bodily strength. She brought her hand up and gripped the handle of the sword at her side and pulled it from its sheath. The blade emanated a ghostly blue glow. Alexia looked up and into the demon’s eyes. “I shall defy you” She promised as she gripped her sword hilt with both hands and changed forward, a battle cry on her lips.

The demon chuckled and brought it’s massive blade down on Alexia. Alexia dodged, dived, and rolled to her feet. She brought her sword around and stabbed it towards the side of the demon. Her blade bounced off the diamond hard armor and threw her balance off. The demon brought its hand up and smacked Alexia across then face, sending her flying through the air. She hit the ground and slid across its smooth surface, her armor striking sparks as it scrape across the hard floor. Alexia pushed herself off the floor and brought her blade back up for the finishing attack she was so sure was coming. But there was nothing. The demon was gone. Alexia’s eyes darted around but she still saw to sign of the woman.

The flutter of leathery wings above her caused her too glance upwards in time to see the rapidly falling demon. Alexia dived away just before the demon’s clawed feet impacted the ground where she had just stood. Alexia rolled onto her back and brought the her blade up to smack the demon’s sword away from her body and then rose to her feet to press her attack. She raised her blade and threw it forward, to plunge it through the demon’s heart. But the demon brought its own blade up and with a flick of its wrist, cut Alexia’s sword blade off. She looked down at the bladeless hilt in her hand and then a hot surge of pain shot through her stomach. Alexia looked down to see the Demon’s blade impaled through her stomach. The blade was withdrawn and Alexia collapsed to he ground. There was no blood from the wound and only the large hole in her stomach revealed that she had been stabbed.

She was beaten, defeated, murdered by this foul demonic creature. The demon stood over her and she braced herself for the finishing blow. No blow came. The demon just looked down at her with its yellow eyes. “No, there would be no point in killing you. If I strike you down then your mind will cease to exist and become useless to me. I don’t just wish to take you life essence, but your mind as well.” With that said the demon turned around moved over to stand under the glowing white orb. It raised it’s hands and the orb started to lower. The demon grasped it in its hands and pulled it down. The orb turned from white to red. Alexia could feel herself growing weaker by the second. The demon chuckled evily as it pressed the orb to its chest. The orb passed through it’s body and disappeared.

Another surge of pain passed through Alexia again, her skin feeling like it was on fire. She looked down at her arms and saw her skin turn grey and become wrinkly. She scalp felt cold and she reached up and found that her hair was gone. Alexia looked up at the demon and saw that it was changing shape again. Its demonic features disappeared, her hair turned from back to fiery red, her eyes became green. Alexia gasped. The demon now looked like her. “Your body is mine now.” The demon said. “Now only one last thing remains; your mind.” With that she stepped forward and pressed her finger to Alexia’s head. She her remaining energy being pulled out and then everything went black.

And with that, the real Alexia sturkov was no more; her body, mind, and soul stolen by the foul creature. What remained of her was banished to the far reaches of the demon’s mind, cursed to remain there for eternity.