The Dark Eclipse: The Gathering (open to all sith)

[Darth Lucid]

Blade stared out a window into the star fields of space. The dreams had been happening more frequently now, now they where telling him to gather the lost and fallen. A dark gathering was to be held, a gathering of the likes that had not happen since the fall of the old empire. He stared a little longer out the window wondering if Setzer and Aria had reached their destination yet.

After several minutes he walked to the center of the empty cargo bay and sat down in meditation posture. He closed his eyes and began searching the stars for the lost souls of the galaxy. His mind stretched the black expanse of space, at first there was everybody? Then it was narrowed down to force users to an odd surprise he felt Jedi in there numbers. From there he narrowed the field to the strong willed dark siders that had the level of at least knight potential. Those few that he could feel he sent out his Message.

"This is the Dark Lord of the Sith darth Lucid."

In there minds popped an Image of a man dressed all in black with a sith mask covering his face. His voice was mechanical in nature and he spoke with authority to all of them.

"You are all the children of the ancient sith lords, those that came before Bane. Bane's rule has ended and it is time for a new successor to the sith throne. Are religion is dieing and the only way to save it is for all of the children to gather. We are to meet in the Center of the Galaxy on the Planet Eclipse. On your way there pick up all the strays you can find no matter their power level. Every Soldier we can get is needed to fight the coming storm. Our great enemy the Jedi are a sleeping giant waking to retake the Galaxy that is rightfully ours. So we must unite to destroy this threat that will wipe us from existence."

With that sent the image of Darth Lucid blinked out of the minds of all those he had intruded upon. Blade sat there sweating in the dark cold cargo bay, he had excited allot of his energy on that single message. Under his breath he whispered into the darkness.

"Message sent, now let me get some sleep. I will need it to prepare for what is next."

[Adrea Veliner]

TATOOINE
THE JUNDLAND WASTES

:: A slender figure in desert gear heard the call. From exactly where and how far she didn't know. Casting a broken gaderfii on the fire, the Falleen gathered what useful items she could from the dead camp and made her way to her ship. This was the sign she had waited for ::

[Blade Bacquin]

A couple hours later Blade awoke from his slumber with anger. Yet another dream had disturbed him. This one however was of a Falleen woman on Tatooine. The dream told him that she would be the next soldier, a warrior of the order he was helping create. The dream told him that she at least got the message. He wondered if anymore had and if they where coming.

"I wonder if all is lost or if this dream that I choose not to have is coming into light of it's own."

He whispered into the Darkness as his ship fell out of Hyper drive. His onboard computer screamed out across the empty ship.

"Error! Hyperdrive Malfunction! Error! Hyperdrive Malfunction!"

[Adrea Veliner]

:: Adrea shed her desert clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor. Sitting naked in the pilot's chair, she plotted a course for Eclipse. Tattooine became a speck as she broke orbit, leaving the desolate world behind her ::

[Zereth Lancer]

He awoke, sitting up in the bed, his chest heaving. It was such a strange dream. So vivid, so real. A man stood before him, cloaked in robes of black, his face hidden. He issued an edict, commanding all sith to gather under his banner, to bring along any they had with them. This what he was looking for, purpose again. After leaving the Sith Order on Korriban he had been rudderless, wandering about. He found Ashe, though, and a new, even if brief, quest resulted, but that was over now. The cyborg assassin was defeated, it's master chased away. She was safe now, as was he. She might never fully recover from the mental and physical torture and indoctrination she received at Zanon's hands. There was nothing left now, only the peace of being with her, but it was a peace he could not stand.

He slipped out from under the silken covers, moving slowly and silently as to not wake the sleeping Ashe. Quietly he gathered his things, dressing in his black clothing. Extra clothing, weapons, and personal belongings, as few as they were, were placed in two bags, which he hefted over his shoulder before heading for the door of the grubby apartment they rented. He paused, standing in the doorway. He looked back, his red eyes blazing softly in the dark as he looked back upon Ashe. He could be content with such a woman, but it was not his way. A man of action will never know peace.

Minutes later he was out in the cool night air. Ord Mantell was asleep, the only signs of life being the neon lights of bars and the random drunkards stumbling about in the dark. He moved past them all, a wraith, black on black. The spaceport arrived quickly. His own ship, the Star of Oblivion was quickly boarded and prepped for launch. He stowed away his things and then made his way to the cockpit, where he strapped himself into the helmsman's chair. A brief conversation with an Air Control handler gained him permission to leave the planet, which he did as quickly as he could.

No sooner had he cleared Ord Mantell then the ship slipped into hyperspace and shot off, heading for the planet Eclipse. He was leaving everything he had behind him, and reaching out for something more.

[Blade Bacquin]

The ship shook and rattled as if something strong was tugging at it. Blade swayed back and forth as he was attempting to run to the bridge of the ship. It almost felt as if something was trying to rip his ship apart. He reached the bridge and looked out the forward window.

"Crap Imperials."

Outside was an Imperial Interdictor with its grav well to pull things out of hyperspace. The Comm light came on and beeped for an incoming message. Blade hit the switch.

"This is the Imperial Star Destroyer Savrip. Please identify yourself."

Blade just drew a blank on his face. Normally one to think well on his feet, the sleep was getting to him.

"This is the Imperial Star Destroyer Savrip. Please identify yourself."

Crap what was he going to do, he was a wanted man. Also this ship wasn't exactly obtained legally. Blade on autopilot sent over the ship information to the Imperial ship. Then he slowly spoke over the comm.

"This Edac Beil of the YT 1300."

He looked down at his own information screen to find the name of the ship.

"Space Dust?"

Who the heck named this ship?

[Rakkel Thunderwing]

"This is the Dark Lord of the Sith darth Lucid.... You are all the children of the ancient sith lords, those that came before Bane. Bane's rule has ended and it is time for a new successor to the sith throne. Are religion is dieing and the only way to save it is for all of the children to gather. We are to meet in the Center of the Galaxy on the Planet Eclipse. On your way there pick up all the strays you can find no matter their power level. Every Soldier we can get is needed to fight the coming storm. Our great enemy the Jedi are a sleeping giant waking to retake the Galaxy that is rightfully ours. So we must unite to destroy this threat that will wipe us from existence."

The image of the masked Sith Lord and his words burned themselves into Rakkel's mind. Similar instances like this had occurred twice within the past year during his encounters with ancient relics and he dreaded when such things happened. It took weeks of meditation to subdue and bury the thoughts so they would not recur in his subconscious. However unlike the imagery and messages the relics forced upon Rakkel this communication was a lot less horrifying.

When the message ended Rakkel took in his surroundings. He was still standing in the corridor of his ship. That's good. No mindless wanderings while entranced. He then walked to the cockpit and took a seat behind the controls. This message seems to be good news. Quite the way to spread the word Darth Lucid, Dark Lord of the Sith. But my question is this: Eclipse? Nearly every being calls Coruscant the center of the Galaxy. So I assume you mean a planet within the Deep Core. A place where there are few worlds to set foot on save for the ones around Byss... And that would be the perfect place to amass an army, unnoticed, within the heart of the Empire. An impressive ploy, so I hope the army answers the call. Rakkel would join this Sith Lord, if only to see where this convergence of the Dark Side led.

He kicked his boots off, set his feet on the inactive console, and leaned back in his chair to focus himself. Picking up strays on Imperial Centre may prove a bit troublesome though. Lets just see who's nearby and give an offer of a free ride.

Invisisec had a large alien populace and no doubt Force-sensitive types would find safety in hiding among Coruscant's unwanted. Rakkel stretched out his own Force sense over Invisisec looking for those not wanting to be found. There were bound to be one or two individuals nearby in touch with the Force.

[Aelor Oli'Shol]

"Scared little mouse?"

Her voice came out as an airy whisper into the ear of the teen girl that was pinned to the ground benieth her lithe form. She had been stalking this girl for a week now. For no other reason then to torment the girl relentlessly. For a week, paranoia had grown within the girl's psychie only to be confirmed now that this sith creature was kneeling over her trembling form.

The bound eyes of the sith gave away nothing to the girl as to if the woman had mercy or not. But judgeing by the sadistic grin on her lips, the girl very much doubt that the woman had ever had a thought of mercy in her life.

The woman paused. The blind saw a man in her mind, black clothed and ominous. This was it. This was what she had been looking for. Signs of other sith in the universe. The message played through her mind slowly over and over again as she took it all in.

Finally, her head snapped back towards the girl who was trying to get away during Aelor's trance. She grabbed the girl's shoulder and let out a burst of a laugh in her face.

"Too Late little mouse!"

She yelled the words, an odd change from the nothing more then whispers that her volume had just been.

"Too Late! All is Lost for your people NOW!"

The yell came again from her and she suddenly yanked out one of her red lightsabers. With a snap-hiss and the smell of burning o-zone, the beam comes out of the hilt. She turns the saber and stabs it deeply into the girl's bare stomach. Aelor smiles and taps the girl on the face.

"Pray that this kills you now, little mouse..."

Her voice nothing more then a whisper again. With that, she disengages her saber and leaves the girl down in that ally, alone, naked and bleeding.

***

Moments later, Aelor is within her ship. She powers it up and quickly types in the location of Planet Ecplise. Less then a moment later, she is in the air and off towards the calling of the sith.

[Zereth Lancer]

His harness bit into his chest as his body was pitted forward, the sudden deceleration of his ship threatening to toss him like a rag doll if his harness was not there to hold him in place.

The black spots disappeared from his vision with time, frantically looking out the viewport, to see nothing but speckled stars. And that was the oddity. He was not in hyperspace anymore. Something had pulled him out. He checked the ship log, and there had been no input from the main console to begin an exit sequence, and he knew for a fact that there was no other console or port in the ship that could accomplish such a thing. Plus the exit had been sudden and painful, with klaxons shrieking and wailing as various on board systems cried out in turmoil from the force of the exit.

Another alarm sounded, uniting it's voice with the choir. Ships were detected. The controls were gripped tightly in hand and the ship was turned about to face the direction of the ships. They popped into view, or rather one of them did. It was hard to miss the imposing figure of a Star Destroyer. The other ship was only a gray dot, hard to distinguish from the specks of starlight all around it. His sensors described it as a transport-class vessel. Nothing military at all, or even Imperial design. So. Interdictor Star Destroyer, commercial transport, both at the core of the system near Eclipse. It was more then peculiar.

"This is the Imperial Star Destroyer Savrip. Please identify yourself."

Schutta. They had spotted him already, and with good reason. Their systems would be notified as soon as an object of any mass or shape was pulled from hyperspace, but more so all his stealth systems were offline and would take time to turn on. And now here he is, nearly cornered by the Empire while piloting a ship modified with highly illegal equipment. Shiny.

"This is the XS-800 light freighter Star of Oblivion, on route from Ord Mantell to Coruscant."

They could run a background check, and they would find a Star of Oblivion marked as a merchant vessel owned by a Drexel Kane, a man in possession of numerous merchant and trading licenses. Thus he was fully able to be here in this area, if he blamed his navigation system for burping out a bad trajectory.

"Star of Oblivion, leave the system immediately."

So, that's what it call came down to, did it? They could order all they want, but he was not taking orders from the Empire. Not ever. There was something about that other ship that intrigued him. He could feel it, the source of the cryptic message. Not a god, but a man. A man now in great danger.

Zereth set his ship on a course that took it out of the system, but his engines, damaged as they were by the rapid deceleration, could only move him so fast. Perfect. In the meantime, he reclined his seat and closed his eyes.

He took in the star system, containing it all in his mind, and then focusing his mind's eye on the two ships. The hulking Star Destroyer and the minuscule ship it's dwarfed. Then he moved his mind to another area of the system, a safe distance away from the Destroyer, outside of it's firing range and some. His fingers gripped the ends of the chair arms as he bent his mind around that area of space. Illusions are a powerful tool, and thus with it he created sparks of light, emotes of blues and whites similar to that created by a ship as it's leaves hyperspace. Further illusions were created as ships came into view. These illusions were greatly detailed, but completely 2D, flat from the sides, like a rich painting. From the Destroyer's view it looked like a three Mon Calamari cruisers of the same design had all emerged from hyperspace. To the Destroyer it say several ships, but there was nothing on it's sensors. Ghost ships, like something out of a nightmare, coming to get them.

They would have gone completely unnoticed if not for an ensign that saw them from a viewport. The captain was quickly notified, and to his horror he could not deny what he saw. He radioed command, notifying them of a rebel presence at the core, of all places, and then brought his ship around, heading out of system as fast as it could, but without leaving completely. It stayed out of range of the phantom ships that looked so real from where it floated in space. The other ships were completely forgotten.

His nose began to bleed...

[Fraro Alvir]

Time seemed to have no real meaning. His seclusion began shortly after the death of his master and twin brother. At one time long ago, he was a budding flower in the ways of the force. His petals proudly turned toward the sun. He was a studious padawan, with a hunger for knowledge. He would have been any Jedi master’s star pupil if it were not for his twin brother. Perhaps seclusion was the wrong term. No, this was more of an exile.
<o></o>
After the Great Purge, Jedi were forced into hiding fearing the wrath of the Sith Lord and his prized apprentice known as Darth Vader. Lasth Kevados was one of the lucky ones. He was able to escape the massacre to the planet Dantoonie were he lived in relative obscurity. That is until Kevados met twin brothers very strong in the way of the force. Kasth decided to take the boys under his wing, to show them the true nature of the force.
<o></o>
But it all went wrong. All that remained was the twisted and ravaged soul of Fraro Alvir. Perverted by the evil temptations of the Dark Side, he was a broken man. Time seemed to have no real meaning. Exile was indeed a cruel mistress. He was a lone wolf, drifting through this existence.
<o></o>
"This is the Dark Lord of the Sith darth Lucid."
<o></o>
However, all of that seemed to change in an instant. <o></o>
"You are all the children of the ancient sith lords, those that came before Bane. Bane's rule has ended and it is time for a new successor to the sith throne. Are religion is dieing and the only way to save it is for all of the children to gather. We are to meet in the Center of the Galaxy on the Planet Eclipse. On your way there pick up all the strays you can find no matter their power level. Every Soldier we can get is needed to fight the coming storm. Our great enemy the Jedi are a sleeping giant waking to retake the Galaxy that is rightfully ours. So we must unite to destroy this threat that will wipe us from existence."<o></o><o></o>
His life, this life now seemed to have meaning, a great purpose.
<o></o>
He was able to sneak his way onto a freighter that was bound for Nar Shaddaa. The ship’s crew would not reach their destination. They were slaughtered without feeling or remorse. These men and women would be the first victims of the coming Sith War. Unwilling soldiers in this unknown conflict.
<o></o>
“Navicomputer, set a new course,” he said with a ruthless tone. It was on this day Fraro Alvir sore his allegiance to Darth Lucid, the Dark Lord of the Sith.
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[Rakkel Thunderwing]

Aged and decaying an apartment complex stood before Rakkel. He’d traveled to this building, four levels down into Coruscant's Undercity, in search of three individuals he'd sensed that had potential in the Force. Oddly enough they were together, presumably drawn to each other by their connections with the Force. They stuck out like a sore thumb when Rakkel extended his senses over the population of Invisisec making it easy for him to locate them.

Eventually Rakkel came to an entrance into the old building, an emergency exit. Its metal door hung half open. He pulled it the remainder and stepped in unnoticed and made his way up the stairwell beyond to the floor where he felt the presence of the people he sought. They lived in an apartment at the opposite end of the hall from the stairwell on the left side. Their doorway was closed but that didn’t dampen the music they blasted. He knocked on the door and suddenly the music stopped. They’d actually heard his fist upon door. Footfalls could be heard as the trio gathered behind the door after picking up makeshift weapons.

"Go away!" a female voice shouted from behind the door, "You don't want trouble and we don't take visitors."

Rakkel extended his will and used the Force to touch the minds of the people beyond his sight. You will open the door and let me in.

"We might make an exception for you than if you stay out of our heads." a different voice said, this one male.

"Very well. I come as a friend so you may put your weapons down." Rakkel replied.

"We'll judge that. I'm opening the door."

Cautiously the door was opened revealing a very clean and furnished room, a sharp contrast to the rest of the building's interior. Rakkel stepped in the occupants held their guard up. They were an odd looking bunch.

Directly in front of Rakkel stood a Human male in his early twenties. He wore black slacks over bare feet and had on a dark green short sleeve button up shirt. His eyes were similar in colour to the shirt and his dark brown hair was slicked back. A crescent moon was tattooed around his left eye. He carried a tall lamp like a staff in his right hand.

To the Human's right was a Molavaran female, by her looks a few years older than the male. She had brown cargos over her sandals and a loose red jean jacket over a white tank top. Her eyes were dark blue and her skin was pink. Piercings lined both sides of her jaw. She held a chef's knife in a reverse grip.

Flanking the Human male on the left was a Near-Human girl in her late teens. She wore blue jeans and a white blouse. Her hair was jet black and her oddly shaped eyes were a dark brown. She was unarmed but stood in a fighter’s stance, ready to strike at any moment.

"Who are you and what do you want?" demanded the Molavaran.

"I am Rakkel Thunderwing, a person with abilities similar to your own." Rakkel said opening his arms in a peaceful gesture, "I've come to offer you the oppourtunity to leave this world to join others like you."
“How’d you find us?”
“Sensed your collective presence in the Force. I take it that’s why you three are together. You found each other through it and are hiding from the Inquisition.”
“Yeah. That’s the short story of it. You Inquisition? Where’s your back up?”
“No. I’m part of a group much like your own, but on a larger scale.”

The three dropped their combative postures and looked to one another before the Molavaran spoke again. "That so. You want us to join you than. If we don't accept your offer?"

"You can live hiding from the Inquisition until they find you. I don't care. I’m just offering you something better and safer."

A moment passed and the group stepped into the kitchen and exchanged words. It started as chatter but grew into heated debate. The discussion suddenly ended when the teenager ran out.

"I accept!" she exclaimed.

The human male followed shaking his head in disappointment. While the Molavaran stepped up behind the younger girl and wrapped her arms around her. "We're all in." she said.

"I knew you would be." Rakkel said with a smile, "My ship is four levels up. Get your stuff together and I'll lead you there."


A half-hour later the group was buckled in the ship and ready to leave. Rakkel powered the ship up and broke for the sky and heading to the planet's northern pole then escaping into space undetected. He mapped out a course to where Eclipse was located into the ship's navigational computer. Five minutes later and the ship jumped into hyperspace.

[Gharhda the Hutt]

"Hm?" Cortonak thought. So, if the power couplings attach to this slot, then the modulator should connect to the third plug-in on the right. Then the Core should hook up to the display's little nook.

The Near-Human pushed a button and flipped a switch, only to see a Star Map flitter on and a few lines slowly passing through the galaxy. Cortanak zoomed through the Hologram and found the starting point, Ord Mantell.
But why there? He moved around the room and looked again, it wasn't Ord Mantell, it looked like Tanaab. Ahhh, Tanaab. The shipping yards looks like where the route starts, but that's only a wild guess. I think I should go to my cabin and rest...


Cortanak walked to his cot slowly and sat down on it. Then he grabbed his CommLink and whispered into it,"Hey, this is Paratrooper Sylux, 182nd Legion Star Corps. I'm signing out for a month, I'm on the cruiser Dawn of the Eclipse. This is Cortanak Sylux, out."

"This is the Dark Lord of the Sith darth Lucid."

Sylux fell asleep...when he did, a dark figure in a black robe started speaking.

"You are all the children of the ancient sith lords, those that came before Bane. Bane's rule has ended and it is time for a new successor to the sith throne. Are religion is dieing and the only way to save it is for all of the children to gather. We are to meet in the Center of the Galaxy on the Planet Eclipse. On your way there pick up all the strays you can find no matter their power level. Every Soldier we can get is needed to fight the coming storm. Our great enemy the Jedi are a sleeping giant waking to retake the Galaxy that is rightfully ours. So we must unite to destroy this threat that will wipe us from existence."

Sylux frightenedly woke up, startled by the Message. He knew this was it. He could get more. Cortanak jumped out of bed and ran to his closet. He put on his armor, ran to the cockpit, turned on the Map, and set a course for Eclipse. Hopefully there wouldn't be any interuptions in space. He stared out the window and saw his co-pilot, Spyre. Then, Cortanak yelled," Hey, Spyre! Get in here! We're going to the Core!"

That was it. The unlimited power was going to be their's and many others'. The Eclipse...

[Adrea Veliner]

:: A firespray craft emerged from hyperspace, near Byss. Adrea woke from her meditation, alerted by her droid of a tie fighter patrol. The Falleen went into evasive manuevers instead of attacking the patrol. Speeding towards the planet's atmosphere, she steered the craft along the curve of the planet, executing a gravity whip. Her velocity took her beyond the pursuing craft and past the larger imperial ships in the area like a bullet. She continued her journey towards the dark planet ::

[Darth Callidus]

A voice echoed back across the galaxy, as cold and dead as space itself. Its chill tone sounded in the mind of Blade Ice, and to all those with the power to listen.

Darth Lucid... false scion... you shall fail.

[Lucianus Adair]

From some dank corner of the galaxy, nearly devoid of light, he heard the message tingle in his well-trained mind as he sat comfortably, polishing a prized blade with such care. Over fifteen thousand years had taught him the refined discretion to know whom to heed and whom to strike down. The master warrior, the definitive predator, Marsuo'ur'stalin could feel the lifepulse of the universe groan at this impending...abomination. The message had reached him just as well as it had any others, followed by the responses to the original. He laced his long and clawed fingers, and closed his blue eyes, which were nearly vacant even of that icy shade. Marsuo bowed his head, one corner of his mouth tugging into a malicious, tight-lipped smile that would easily betray his venomous intent to onlookers. If there had been any.

How unfortunate it was for them to make this move. Already, the discerning mind of this watcher could see their potential downfall. He would not join them. No, not at all. His reply spoke solely to the originator of the call.

You show your hand, blasphemer. And so you shall fall - in time.

Yes, there was much coming to pass. In time, indeed, the harvest would be ripe.

[Jeseth Cloak]

"This is the Dark Lord of the Sith darth Lucid."

"You are all the children of the ancient sith lords, those that came before Bane. Bane's rule has ended and it is time for a new successor to the sith throne. Are religion is dieing and the only way to save it is for all of the children to gather. We are to meet in the Center of the Galaxy on the Planet Eclipse. On your way there pick up all the strays you can find no matter their power level. Every Soldier we can get is needed to fight the coming storm. Our great enemy the Jedi are a sleeping giant waking to retake the Galaxy that is rightfully ours. So we must unite to destroy this threat that will wipe us from existence."

Darth Lucid... false scion... you shall fail.

The vision had drawn Jeseth out from within his deep meditation. His eyebrows pulled downward in annoyance, and his crimson eyes narrowed into focused slits as he pondered the meaning of it all. So, he realized quietly, the Sith gather, and much sooner than I had foreseen. Closing his eyes completely, he allowed his mind to refocus, the bitter expression vanishing from his face. The vision had been invaluable and - in the end - would contribute to the Sith's demise; Darth Lucid was now known to him.

[Blade Bacquin]

Blade watched as the Savrip pulled away to engage an obviously fake army. At least it was Obvious to him; he could see the illusion for what it was. As he was about to hit his switch to engage into Hyperspace once again two images hit his mind.

Darth Lucid... false scion... you shall fail.

You show your hand, blasphemer. And so you shall fall - in time.

Blade ignored those two calls for they where not important in the grand plan. Not yet anyway, in time they would have their place. They where the heathens of the sith code, those that used that used the Dark side for only minimal or selfish gain. They where restricted in what they could do, the sith had no chains.

He flipped the switch and leapt into hyperspace. He was a little less cryptic then usual, for the enemy had revealed themselves to him. He had to laugh a bit at the fact that they now believed his alter ego was The Dark Lord. No the Dark lord the true one had not revealed themselves yet. That would come in time; the dark lord would only reveal there self for the moment to those that truly carried the mantle of sith.

[Gharhda the Hutt]

LANDING PROCEDURE FAILING!
3rd FOOT'S EXTENDING GEAR OFFLINE!
LANDING PAD DETAILS UNAVAILABLE!

"What the? Why isn't the Pad Manager responding to this? Spyre, go have Slicer help you find what's wrong with the foot. I'll go take care of the manager. Auto-Pilot, On!" Corta ordered as he stared at the NavCom Screen.

Cortanak set the auto-pilot on and ran towards the landing ramp. He took out a plasma torch and a wrench to pry open the door. He grabbed a nearby rope and tied it to a latch on the door. The door creaked open and Cortanak slid down the rope. A few seconds later, a Toydarian with the name Qualdo
came out from a Comm Signal building. The flying mammal floated above the ground most of the time, but when he saw Cortanak, his wings stopped and he sat on the ground. He just stared at Corta. "Eh...! Why are you here, Sylux?"

Cortanak replied with another question, "Well, Qauldo, when's the last time you've bet on a pod race on the planet, ohhh say... ...Nar Shadaa?"

"Ehhh, well... Hmmm... Oh! Ahhh, heh, well, you see, I was working on a Malastare Racing Pod, when out of the dank planet of Hutta, Whyl the Hutt showed up! He bet me on Kordan Jace out on the tracks, I said that Clane McHassien would win! He's a champ! But, ehhhh... He bribed Jace to sabotage Clane, he took a loose clamp and shoved it into the Core of the electric system that let's the two engines attach! Clane ended up getting hit by Janth Messiahne and is pushed off into the stream of traffic. Ehhh, BOOM!
And now I have no slaves! I'm have to work for myself!" Qauldo explained in a time of 27 seconds.

"Qualdo, I need you to come with me. Have any strays?" Corta asked.

He replied," Umm, wait, we're in the refugee sector! Yes, there are some strays! Why?"

Cortanak answered," The Core of the Moon and the Star. The only thing that has a dawn that can block all light. The something that can wipe out the Jedi..."

"ECLIPSE! *Radio fuzz* All strays and refugees that are willing to go to the Dark Core, come to Landing Pad One-One-Seven-Three-Zero! *Radio fuzz*", Qualdo radioed to the Section of Refugees.

"Good, Qualdo, let's get going..."

[Fraro Alvir]

The stolen freighter was rendered lifeless. His vessel fell victim to ion cannon aboard the light corvette. “A minor set back,” Alvir thought. This Imperial entanglement was unavoidable; the Empire has a long history of boarding freighters bound for The Smuggler’s Moon. At this point the practice was almost considered Imperial protocol. The sound of the airlock connecting the two ships rang throughout the freighter. The muffled sound of the imperial troops entering the cargo bay echoed into the cockpit.


Fraro Alvir closed his eyes; he could feel the fear of the soldiers as they witnessed the carnage. The fear made Alvir powerful. The dark side washed over every aspect of his being. The feeling was intoxicating and he could not stop from drinking it in. A sadistic smile crossed his face. The dark side had taken control. The cockpit door opened. Fraro Alvir ignited his lightsaber and his mind went dark….


Alvir came to in the cargo bay of a foreign vessel. The surroundings were unfamiliar but the results were the same. There were bodies scattered all over the cargo bay. Not entire bodies, they were hacked to pieces in a violent yet controlled rage. It was horrific. The route to the bridge was littered with erratic blaster marks and more bloodshed. This was no longer a space cruiser but the scene of a ruthless massacre.


He entered the cockpit and grabed the controls. “I will make a powerful ally for you Lord Lucid,” he set corse to the Eclipse system, “A powerful ally indeed.”
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[Zereth Lancer]

The Interdictor was pulling away, and Zereth, his vision hazy and dark around the edges, still managed to push the propel buttons to pull his ship further away until it was out of the interdictor field. Just as he cleared the invisible bubble of hyperspace molasses, he saw the other ship shoot off into hyperspace. He was off. He plotted his own course for Eclipse, and soon the stars were stretching into lines. He was off.

The illusions disappeared when he left. Space laid bare and empty, but the Savrip did not believe themselves deceived. They merely thought themselves in even greater trouble.

Zereth, on the other hand, retired to his bunk, treating his bleeding nose with a wad of tissue. He was lightheaded and nearly blind, but he managed to find his bunk and lay down. This journey had more then taxed him already.

He would have it no other way.

[Alexia Sturkov]

"This is the Dark Lord of the Sith darth Lucid."

She paused mid-step, the Force Hunters around her taking several more steps before they realized their mistress had stopped. They turned their bulbous eyes to look at her, wondering why she had stopped. She felt it, a mental knock at the door of her mind. She allowed no entrance, but the unwelcome guest insisted on whispering through the keyhole...

"You are all the children of the ancient sith lords, those that came before Bane. Bane's rule has ended and it is time for a new successor to the sith throne. Are religion is dieing and the only way to save it is for all of the children to gather. We are to meet in the Center of the Galaxy on the Planet Eclipse. On your way there pick up all the strays you can find no matter their power level. Every Soldier we can get is needed to fight the coming storm. Our great enemy the Jedi are a sleeping giant waking to retake the Galaxy that is rightfully ours. So we must unite to destroy this threat that will wipe us from existence."

She screamed, her angry voice rising and filling the halls of the former sith cathedral. Her voices echoed down corridors and up hallways, into rooms and further till all of Korriban heard her anger. A recollection of the sith! She had smited and smothered the sith here on Korriban, destroying the greatest collection of sith the galaxy had seen in a thousand years. And now they regroup. The insolence! Did they not have the brains to see defeat when it looked them in the face.

"Go ahead, rise up. No matter where you go, where you gather, I shall destroy you every time. The sith will perish." She mixed her voice with the outcries, among the choir, but singing her own song.

"Summon Jurak and the war council," she ordered the closest Force Hunter, "and tell Zanon to prep the next generation of Hunters. You will all be too feeble for the war that is to come. I shall be in my chambers. Summon me when all is as I say."

[Gharhda the Hutt]

ZING! ZZINNNGG!!

POP! ZING ZING! POP! POP! POP!

"AAAGGGGHHHHHH!!" one refugee screamed.

"AAGGGHHH! AGHH! AAGHH! AGGGGGGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!" another one shrieked.


Darth Sceptar stopped using his poison darts. "That was nothing. Just darts. You want explosives? Well, here it is! *Laugh*"

WHOMP!! BBBBBOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!!!

WHOMP!! BBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!" the refugees screamed in unison.

"..."

"Now, all of you will be my soldiers in the war! You will kill anything in your way! The way of the sith is coming back and rising!!" Sceptar ordered ecstaticly.

"Yes, Lord Sylux- I mean Sce-Sceptar..." Alore Kathuur, one of the refugees, moaned.

"Now, go! You will now spread and unleash chaos around the surrounding worlds of Eclipse! Spyre, ready the ship, we need to leave now." Sceptar said.

Spyre made the ship ready for take-off and the refugees stole transports to go to planets in the Core Worlds. Darth Sceptar was heading to Eclipse. He would siphon all he could on the trip before him...

[Carthis]

When his eyes finally opened, they stared dreamily at the ceiling of his prison cell. Like the innards of some mechanical whale, the grey durasteel was reinforced with ribs of ebony metal, and sometimes he fancied the room contracted like the heaving chest cavity of such a beast. But it never expanded.

Here, there was no light, just different shades of dark. And it was filled with the stillness of his rasping breath. The only things he felt were restraints; icy electromagnetic bindings biting into his ankles and wrists, holding him upright and splayed in the centre of an empty room. He was always being watched. Four red eyes glared through the dark with unwaning scrutiny, atop them sat the black looming shapes of sentry guns. He smiled for them.

Then a faint clumping sound passed by outside and his dry lips parted.

"Doctor?" he said, the broken silence felt sacrilege. Then he spoke again, louder.

"Doctor?"

The muffled footfalls faded. His screams ripped through the metal walls.

"Doctor! Doctor! Doctor! Doctor! Doctor! Doctor! Doctor! Doctor!"

[Carthis]

Outside the silent chamber, a chorus of marching boots approached. The sound of leather soles battering cold duracrete ceased and was replaced hurshed voices, so quiet they were almost whispering. Inside the cell, there was a whirring sound and the red lights blinked blue. The heavy door lifted up and pale light spilled into the room along with four armed soldiers. They each took a corner, on their rifles were mounted strong spotlights and they took aim.

The prisoner was illuminated like some puppet hanging lifeless from its strings in the window of a toyshop. In the corridor, another pair of feet could be heard tapping lightly on the floor. A short man in a long white coat appeared in the doorway, he hesitated then took a step inside. The cell door fell shut behind him, shutting out the pale light. The doctor moved closer, light from the rifles gleamed on his bald head.

"Can you hear me?" he asked.

The prisoner's head hung limp against his chest, his orange overalls were stained with saliva and blood. Before the doctor's arrival, the prison cell had been filled with gas to sedate his patient and he appeared to be unconcious. The doctor scanned the prisoner with an instrument, and struggled to take readings in the difficult light. He felt the patients damp breath on his hand and took a step back.

"Can you hear me?" he repeated, "Are you sick?"

"I'm very sick, doctor."

The reply escaped as the prisoner exhaled, and one of the spotlights on him twitched. The doctor took another step back. He turned his attention to his medical instrument and tapped buttons gingerly. He cleared his throat and spoke quite cordially.

"Where is the pain? Your stomach? Your chest?"

His patient was silent. He lifted the scanner and took further readings. It beeped wildly. His patient groaned and he closed in on him, looking frantically at his readings.

"I need to know where it hurts!" he pleased, "Where are you sick?"

"I'm homesick, doctor," he said, his voice full of terrible life.

The prisoner looked up, his clammy face glistened in the spotlight. Jagged shadows sliced across his scar-rended flesh and his black glare burned with violent lust.

"I'm ready to go now."

There were cracks and as glass tinkled on the floor, darkness flooded back into the chamber. And deathly sounds pierced the night.

[Blade Bacquin]

Blade ship once again shifted out of hyperspace but this time it was to his own doing. His ship decelerated as he approached a large asteroid belt. Some where in that field of rock and ice was the planet Eclipse? Blade struggled to remember the navigation to the planet. It had been years since he had been there last.

"Now where is the diamond in the ruff?"

He slowly approached the field and began to navigate his way through it. His eye's where closed as he Manually navigated it. His mind was stretched out to the force. He could feel the planet and it's call. Before he knew it he was on approach to the well-hidden planet amongst the rock.

"So it begins."

He took his ship on a landing course to a small village on the planets surface. The population was alien and gave his ship a strange look. It was rare for visitors to come here. It was more of a hiding place then anything and very few people even knew it existed.

He landed and stepped off the ship onto the surface of the planet. Into the grass how long had it been since he had seen grass. It had been awhile since he had seen something else besides jungle and mining camps. His feet almost seemed uneasy on the solid ground as he began to walk. He walked to a small tavern and speaking in an odd alien tongue he spoke to the owner.

"Have every one vacate this bar or I will vacate them for you. I doubt you will want to clean up the mess."

Blade pulled out his light saber and ignited it to add a little more to his threat.

"It's your choice?"

The owner looked at his sparsely populated bar and just agreed to the terms, kicking everyone out.

"No worries you will be able to reopen for business in time for the night crowd. Until then I will be the one who says who can enter and who can't."

Blade then walked to a dark Corner of the bar and began to conjured up an illusion of Darth Lucid. He would play two parts in the next phase of the test.

[Tetsuya Hairetsutsu]

No doubt his Master had heard the messages too. This was it, this was what they'd been waiting for. And she'd be coming soon to find him. Well, he hoped.

Tetsuya was wrapped up warm in an ice cave, deep in meditation, and waiting to hear the familiar engines of Adrea's Firespray outside. His trial here was near completion, and all he could do was wait.

[Zereth Lancer]

The alarm sounded, but he was already up. His internal clock ran more accurately then anything man made. He made his way to the cockpit, using a shred of cloth to wipe his nose, which had bled more while he slept. He felt the ship, and his stomach, drop as it exited hyperspace, and he quickly climbed into the command chair and strapped himself in, taking a moment to look around, just making everything was the same. The same scrawl was carved into the wall by the door, the same dried blood clung to an unused, and broken, control panel. Yes. It was just the way it should be.

Looking ahead, he took the controls in hand and piloted around a rather large asteroid that had filled his viewscreen. He continued this pattern of dodging and going around asteroids of all sizes. It was nothing a small transport ship like his could not handle. A cruiser would have a problem. It had more length to get hit, but his ship was small and agile, even for a transport. The modified engines were tuned for handling, not raw power. His ship could not take as much weight as originally, but it could out maneuver any other transport or cargo ship in it's class. That alone gave his an advantage. Gave him an edge.

Eclipse came into view, and his sensors picked up the ion trail left by the other ship. He followed it down to the surface, landing near the other ship. He powered down his ship and moved to the back, changing out his bloody shirt and pulling on a fresh one. All black, all practical. From the boots to the swoop gloves. All rugged and worn. He looked like an adventurer, but at the same time he carried the aura of a warrior, without needing an obvious display of weaponry. On his way out he grabbed his ragged and worn red cloak and wrapped it around his shoulders and then exited the ship, sealing it shut behind him. He carried no visible weapons on him. His lightsabre was hidden within the folds of his clothing, and he had left his blades on board. He found that the amount of weapons brought into a delicate situation directly equally how more delicate the situation would become.

He walked the small distance to the tavern and stepped inside. The building was empty and barren, but carried a warmth within it. There had been people in here. Now all that remained was the bartender, who was looking quite sheepish behind the bar. And then there was the second man. Zereth felt him more then saw him. He turned to glance into the corner, and there the man was, hiding in the shadows generated therein.

He walked over, his boots hardly making a noise with each graceful step. One would thing it difficult for such a large man to move so quietly. Zereth was not just a large man, he was a highly trained and experienced man, one that had seen just about everything and experienced just as much. Ancient, but perpetually youthful. He did not age according to time. Not because he could beat the clock, but because time itself held no sway over him.

"I come as instructed... Darth Lucid." He said once he reached the table. He did not use the word commanded, because no sith commands another sith, especially two unfamiliar sith who have no idea of the other's strength. Zereth knew he had power, knew he was a god among men and adepts, but he never let it go to his head. He would not succumb easily, but he would not elevate himself over others either.

[Karl Valten]

Across the galaxy on the Imperial training world of Carida, a figure tosses and turns in her sleep. A vivid images and haunting voice invade her peaceful slumber and echo through her head.

"This is the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Lucid."
<o></o>
Her eyes clench tightly, though she doesn’t wake, and a snarl grace mars her face as the Dark Lord speaks his blasphemy. In her mind she is already lashing out against the heretic as he continues, sending out ripples to distort the distant beacon. For she know the danger he and his kind present, even though a misguided fool. The Force was a danger to every living thing and threatened the very foundations of stability in the galaxy. Only under the strictest of doctrine and the most vigilant eyes could it be safely used. And this so-called Sith did not have either.<o>

</o> "You are all the children of the ancient sith lords, those that came before Bane. Bane's rule has ended and it is time for a new successor to the sith throne. Are religion is dieing and the only way to save it is for all of the children to gather. We are to meet in the Center of the Galaxy on the Planet Eclipse. On your way there pick up all the strays you can find no matter their power level. Every Soldier we can get is needed to fight the coming storm. Our great enemy the Jedi are a sleeping giant waking to retake the Galaxy that is rightfully ours. So we must unite to destroy this threat that will wipe us from existence."<o></o>

Her eyes snapped open, blazing with contempt, and pitched up in her bed. Bed sheets drenched in sweat clung to her skin and her amber hair gathered in clumps.<o>

</o>HHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS<o>

</o>The woman started as the doors to her quarters slid open!<o>

</o>“Inquisitor Lymia, I just……”<o>

</o>Lymia held up a hand from where she uneasily sat. “I heard the message, Agent Zareash.” She cast the sheets aside and jumped to her feet, stripping off her damp clothing as she moved. “We knew that this would happen eventually.”<o>

</o>Agent Zareash, fidgeted as the Inquisitor moved toward the fresher unit in her quarters. “Should we send a message to the Grand Inquisitor?”<o>

</o>Inquisitor Lymia glanced over her bare shoulder. “Listen.”<o>

</o>Zareash closed his eyes and concentrated. Faint at first, but then gradually louder. Voices, dozens of voices echoed through the Force and rattled his mind. Laughing, condemning, screaming in rage, all lashing out in all directions. Emanations from Imperial Centre…Prakith…Kuat…Eridau…Thyferra…Corellia…Basti on…Yaga Minor…Yagd’hul…Kessel…and from planets named and unnamed, starships in the void. A response from those who protected the Imperium
<o></o>
And in the chaos of the Force, a clear message was spoken in reply.
<o></o>>
“Let all who heed the heretic’s call perish!”
<o></o>
A vicious smile spread on Inquisitor Lymia’s face. “The Grand Inquisitor already knows.” And she disappeared from the Agent’s view.

[Aelor Oli'Shol]

Her ship slipped through space easily. She had always manged to move in and out of worlds without much notice. She liked it much better that way. Her mind had wandered through insanity through the entire trip. The voices that had echoed through the force after Darth Lucid's message did nothing but make her laugh. Over and over agian, she laughed and laughed. She tore at her eyes, her senses overwhelmed by these echos.

Finally, they had stopped. Her mind cleared, as much as it could for one such as her. The voices of the force had quieted for a time. No more threats, confirmations, or fear. She sat in the pilot's seat of her ship, pulling the bindings on her eyes tighter.

"I'm coming! I'm Coming!" She shouts at no one.

The alert of approach on her pointless view screan blared off. She slammed her hand down on the button to turn it off, the sound hurting her ears. She growled and stretched out her senses into the force to show her where to go.

[Gharhda the Hutt]

Sylux had become himself again after the ex-refugees had gone out to go to the Core Worlds. He had Spyre take them to Coruscant, he had sensed that something there was about to be found. Spyre said,"Destination reached. Now, go find whatever you are looking for, Corta.

Sylux walked down the ramp that had sunk down off of the Skipray Blastboat and ran to a Cantina, where he sensed an unusual amout of Force than he had felt before. The Blast Doors quickly opened, revealing Skye Conann, the one he would take aboard his ship. "Hey, care for a Tatooine Sunburn?" he smoothly asked as he grabbed an unopened, imported Sunburn from the counter. Meanwhile, on Telos...


"RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRR!!!!!!" A huge, hulking beast screamed as many Cannoks squealed and ran. The restoration project was almost complete, only a few contaminated spots to go and Telos wouldn't need citadel station any more! A new species from outside the Galaxy were being imported on a hyperspeeding ship looking like a Hammerhead-class Cruiser was stopped by x4 Gravity Well Projectors on a Star Destroyer. The Hammerhead had used its GIANT quad turbolasers and blasted the bridge of the Destroyer. Later, the starship's engines began to destroy the ship and it began to catch on fire. After that, the Destroyer was nothing but floating particles in space. As the Hammerhead had been taken out of hyperspace, it was fired upon. Other Hammerheads dropped out of hyperspace to aid it, but the destruction of the Star Destroyer had a small field of debris, so when the Hammerheads dropped out, they crashed into debris! They all started falling against Telos. Once they all crashed, the new species of reptiles ran across the planet, breeding a new colony of lizards...

[Darth Lucid]

A masked face then peered through the shadows at Zareth. If Zareth could have seen his face through the mask it would have been one of a stern look. He stared at Zareth for a moment judging the man before him in his own little way.

"Indeed!"

A mechanical voice sprang to life with that one word.

"Many more are coming. We must wait for them, so have yourself a drink."

As Lucid said that a young man in his late twenties sprang through the door. The man had short brown hair and a five o’clock shadow. The man's eyes glowed a light orange color but the rest of him seemed human. The man was wearing a trench coat open in the front so you could see his black clothing. One the man's belt hung a lighsaber and an odd sense he knew how to use the weapon. However now force signature protruded from the man it was as if he was either hiding his presence or was void of the force.

The man did not approach lucid though he just went straight to the bar and order some Jack. The bartender gave him an odd look as if he didn't even know the drink he was referring to.

[Skye Connan]

"This is the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Lucid."

Something, with great magnitude, twitched in the brunettes mind as she replayed the words in her head.


"You are all the children of the ancient sith lords, those that came before Bane. Bane's rule has ended and it is time for a new successor to the sith throne. Are religion is dieing and the only way to save it is for all of the children to gather. We are to meet in the Center of the Galaxy on the Planet Eclipse. On your way there pick up all the strays you can find no matter their power level. Every Soldier we can get is needed to fight the coming storm. Our great enemy the Jedi are a sleeping giant waking to retake the Galaxy that is rightfully ours. So we must unite to destroy this threat that will wipe us from existence."

It was strange, the words were like a whisper; nothing more that a baby’s breath upon her mind. It almost seemed like she wasn’t suppose to hear it; that it happened by shear accident. This wasn’t the first time she had heard the thoughts of others; however, this was the first time she saw the person behind the thought.

The man in her head was unforgettable. Though his face was hidden beneath a haunting mask, she could see what he was and his ‘calling’ made it all the more clear.

He was Sith.

She had been in the presence of Sith before and it had left her with exciting and painful memories. The worst of which was Apollus Alexei, it hurt so much to think about him. It had been on Corellia, that’s where she left him. She had fled in the middle of the night, but only be accident and now it was months later. He was still on her mind but Coruscant was now her home; along with its’ nightclubs and cantina’s.

A tall glass of water sat nearly untouched in front of her as she played the Call over and over in her head. This, Darth Lucid had a very promising proposition and Skye knew she was meant to be a part of it.

Swiftly, there was the tiniest disturbance somewhere deep in her soul; someone was coming . . . someone for her.

The doors of the cantina opened suddenly and a man rushed in. His direct path toward her indicated that this was the ‘someone’ she had mysteriously sensed coming.

He grabbed the Tatooine Sunburn from the counter and offered some to her. A grin spread across her pink lips and she shook her head at his forwardness.

“Thanks, but I don’t drink.” This man was here for her; she just knew it. He was going to take her to the others on Eclipse.

Skye wasn’t frightened, as she would have been months ago . . . in fact, this abrupt meeting was quite exciting and all she knew was that she wouldn’t miss it for anything.

“. . . I’m coming to you, Darth Lucid . . .”

[Fraro Alvir]

The journey was a long and strenuous one. The mental preparation, the hours of mediation took its toll on Fraro Alvir. It was necessary however, Alvir was preparing to meet his new master, and he wanted to make sure his abilities would be enough to impress Darth Lucid.


He gazed deep into the darkness of space, almost losing himself in the anticipation. This was the encounter Alvir waited his entire life for. His journey to the dark side began the night he brutally murdered his master and twin brother. The senseless deaths, the blood of the innocent served as an affirmation. This epic quest was coming to its end, the face to face meeting with a dark lord of the Sith.


The navicopmuter announced the ships arrival. Alvir worked the strange vessel down to the planet’s surface. Fraro was taken aback by the surface, the green grass of Eclipse reminded him of his home world of Dantooine. Those feels were quickly pushed out of his mind; the encounter would soon be at hand. He reached out, trying to sense the presence of his master….


There.






Fraro Alvir entered the small tavern and made his way to a dark corner. A shadowy figure sat at attention. Alvir dropped to one knee and announced with confidence, “I am Fraro Alvir and I swear my allegiance to you Darth Lucid, Dark Lord of the Sith.”

[Carthis]

The wailing siren yawned to life like the stirring of a great waking monster. It stretched out across the sky, and with a shrill cry warned the city that something was wrong. The searchlights were next; long pale fingers searched the grounds, casting ominous shapes of black and white. Then from within the belly of the prison came the sound of blaster fire; distant at first, the fizzing screeches resonated throughout the compound until a resounding crash shook the building to its foundations. Painful cries punctured the sounds of battle and dazzling sparks errupted against backdrops of red and emerald. A fearful voice rang out.

"Watch out! Over there! It's a-"

His cry was snuffed out by a thundering explosion and a blazing flash sent men crashing to the ground under rubble. A gaping hole had been torn in the outer wall of the prison complex and in it stood a man in filthy orange overalls. Behind him, brilliant spotlights illuminated the lifeless bodies of armoured men strewn across the prison yard. Slowly, the battle resumed. He climbed a mound of duracrete created by the blast and came to a halt at its peak. His gaze fell upon a Stormtrooper, half buried under a durasteel beam at the foot of the rubble. The trooper issued a muffled whimper from behind his white helmet and struggled frantically under the weight of the metal. Even in the dark, he saw a grin crease the convict's mutilated face. He descended the rock.

"Where is he?"

The voice came from the trooper but it wasn't his own; it was a fuzzy voice which crackled through a speaker somewhere on his person. The convict was close enough to hear another voice, clearly now.

"I need back-up here!"

"Answer me, people! Where is he?"

"He released the others! Someone help!"

The stormtrooper twitched and stammered as the shadow loomed over him. He had multiple wounds, his pristine armour was spattered with blood which, in the moonlight, appeared quite black. From behind his Imperial visage, he muttered feeble pleas and stammered nervously as the convict stooped down and reached out. Long bloody hands clasped the helmet, the trooper cried out, and it was gently slipped away revealling the face of a handsome young man. His lip trembled and his eyes were fixed on the convict, whose interest appeared to be with the armour and not him. From within the helmet, the comm crackled with frantic cries and agonised screams.

"Where is he?"

"Oh God! There's noone left!"

"Anybody! Where is he?"

"He's killed them all!"

"Where the frell is he!?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

The comm traffic died, and in the silence beyond the prison walls, the young trooper held his breath and turned his eyes away from the man crouched over his body. Rain pattered heavily on his armour. Then he heard that low, rasping drawl once more and shivered.

"When they ask what devil wrought this fine art, tell them it was Carthis."

The frantic voices resumed and steadily, he brought the helmet down over the frozen face of the young man. He smirked and patted it playfully. Then with one sharp yank, he twisted the helmet sideways and beneath the armour, there came a clean crack. The body went limp and the convict's body quivered. He opened his eyes, relinquished his grip, and sighed. Slowly, he rose and looked up at the turbulant black sky. His bloodied face glistened with pearly droplets of rain. He opened his mouth and relished his first taste of freedom. Then laughing like a boy on the first day of summer, he disappeared into dark city streets.

[Gharhda the Hutt]

"Hey, I uhhh, let me just think a minute..." Corta stuttered.

"So, are you heading to, the Center, Eclipse?" Cortanak asked as he penetrated Skye's mind.

He walked to a table and sat down. Sylux knew something was up with this girl. He just needed to figure out what...

[Skye Connan]

Skye quirked an eyebrow at the man as he sat down at the table nearby. She was actually skeptical about following him at first but then his voice beaconed through her mind.

"So, are you heading to, the Center, Eclipse?"

She took it as a cue to follow him, she really had no choice, being that she was very young and inexperienced in the Force; she still couldn’t send her own thoughts and sayings very well through the Force. Skye sat herself down across from him at the table, she couldn’t help but study him for a few moments in silence.

Her hazel eyes gazed at over him as if studying an extremely rare specimen. She suddenly turned her eyes away from him and grinned widely.

“I heard the call.” She said softly, scanning the cantina; studying others like she had studied him. One could say, she was comparing and contrasting him to others. “And I wish to go.”

Skye momentarily brushed the few strands of hair that had escaped from the French braids tightly pulled against her head away from her face. She smiled again, gently this time.

“I assume you heard it, too?”

This man was a curious person, she would get to know him… and very well at that…

[Adrea Veliner]

No doubt his Master had heard the messages too. This was it, this was what they'd been waiting for. And she'd be coming soon to find him. Well, he hoped.

Tetsuya was wrapped up warm in an ice cave, deep in meditation, and waiting to hear the familiar engines of Adrea's Firespray outside. His trial here was near completion, and all he could do was wait.

:: The firespray touched down, and the boarding ramp opened, shining light upon the floor of the cave. Adrea waited within. He could feel her presence ::

[Tetsuya Hairetsutsu]

Tetsuya faced lit up. He stood, shaking the loose snow from his frame and paced up into the ship lazily. He was weakened, physically. Months on the frozen landscape had ravaged his body. He was build heavier than when he'd been dropped here; having to hunt and build nearly every day had honed his strength. It was his mental endurance that had improved mostly though. He was able to wipe his thoughts clean in an instant, opening himself more readily to the Force, and he was stronger for it.

The ramp closed behind him. Tossing his blood stained, animal fur cloak into a locker, and made his way to the cockpit. Slopping into the seat near Adrea, he let out a deep sigh and strapped himself in.

"I was starting to think you weren't coming."

[Adrea Veliner]

"We're going to Eclipse." she replied.

:: The firespray lifted off and she set back on course again ::

[Tetsuya Hairetsutsu]

Tetsuya sat in silence for a while, adjusting to the heat and watching the black of space. His eyelids were groing heavy, and he unclipped his belt, making his way to the back end of the Firespray. Taking up a folded hammock from a footlocker, he set it up from hooks on the wall, before stripping down to his trousers and slumping into it. It rocked gently as he settled down, and soon he fell into the most comfortable he'd had in a long time.

[Gharhda the Hutt]

"Yeah, I heard it. One thing I have to say. Or maybe two. Follow me to my Skipray Blastboat. Heed the call..."

Sylux walked to the door and opened it. They would for sure heed the call.
...Just maybe not the whole time...

[Rakkel Thunderwing]

The trip to the system containing Eclipse had been without incident. Each jump had been smooth and the sublight corrections had been brief, if at all noticeable. The nav computer was dead on accurate in its coordination, thanks to charts borrowed from the archives of Imperial Centre. Now the difficult task of navigating a ship to planet itself was at hand.

First the planet had to be located; charts of the system weren't trustworthy as an ever-changing field of asteroids veiled Eclipse. This field provided the perfect shield against intruders, granting only the most skilled, or force adept, the ability able to snake through the maze of moving rock and come out alive to land on the planet.

Rakkel's passengers had kept to themselves for most of the journey. The lengthy time they had been aboard his ship, in proximity to him, allowed them to feel his feint presence in the Force. While keeping themselves occupied in the ship's lounge they reached out with their own senses to explore this presence farther. They had met a barrier which wouldn't allow them to press their will forward, and as they pushed, Rakkel demonstrated his own will upon them and gave them a light nudge through the Force, knocking them off balance where they stood. Immediately afterwards he sensed their combined fear, it put a smile on his face. If they think that is power to be feared, they are mistaken. Oh how they will learn. From his seat in the cockpit he turned and shouted down the corridor, "You shouldn't force your way into where you are not wanted. The consequences of doing so can be hazardous."

After the incident the three passengers had chosen to remain idle in the lounge until the final jump back into real space where the ventured into the cockpit. The kept silent but watched Rakkel intently. Their future was in front of them.

The teenager was the first to speak as the ship closed on the asteroid field. "I feel something strange. It's radiating from the space ahead."

"The others, they gather. They will be our beacon to the planet beyond this cosmic wasteland. It would be wise to now shroud yourselves in the Force. Mask yourselves by blending your power in with the powers that surround you. You've done this on Coruscant, it will be easier now that there is a greater source of the Force to tap into and use."

"Why?" asked the Molavaran, "Aren't we going to be accepted here?"

"There are others, like us, yet unlike us, wakened by our gathering force. They threaten us, and are moving against us even now. The haven promised is no longer safe."

"WHAT?!" exclaimed the male, "Liar. Bastard. We were fine on Coruscant, now you've put us in danger. Turn this ship around, or I will!"

"You'll stay exactly where you are. Greater powers are at work here, powers you do not yet comprehend, and will never be able to, if you don't keep your place."

"Do as he says Rixx," the girl said, "and calm down. He is our guardian now."

"I can't believe you're siding with this trickster, Kinh. What about you Fleek?"

The Molavaran replied by stepping behind the girl. Kinh crossed her arms, and stared at Rixx while tapping her foot. The human's face had flushed red, and menacing anger showed itself. He charged at the girl from his position in the cockpit but ran into an invisible wall. Kinh screamed, and Fleek hissed as she pulled the teen out of harms way. Rixx smacked off the unseen blockade hard and rebounded, landing on the deck with a thud. He tried to scream in anger, but was all but paralyzed when he tried to force his voice.

"It is good you have much anger and hate within you Rixx. Keep it in check and it will serve you well. Until that point do not let it control your actions. The Dark Side of the Force here is toying with you. It plays with your mind, twists it, to a point where you are no longer in control. You the manipulator will become the manipulated. I have no doubt we shall meet one so far gone as we gather. Caution should be taken when dealing with them. They are nearly unpredictable." Rakkel said coolly, his focus on maneuvering through the asteroids.

Rose colour slowly faded from Rixx' face and the paralysis wore off. He pushed up from the deck and left the cockpit without a word. Walking silently to the cabin he claimed, he threw himself in his bunk, and put up barriers around his mind.

Fear is your most powerful ally, adept.

"Shall we remain here, or see to him Rakkel?" Fleek asked.

"He's family. We have our fights but we always protect and care for each other, it's how we live." Kinh chimed in.

"Stay or go, it makes no difference. He will not be disturbed by either action. It would be best that you learn his lesson. It is but the first you shall receive." Rakkel noted, "Now, we shall make planet fall within half an hour, prepare yourselves for the time we land."

The two females left leaving Rakkel in solitude. Everything is progressing well he thought to himself. He then turned on the sound system within the cockpit, and it began to play a hard to come by thrash metal set from a long dead band, only heard centuries ago.

[Skye Connan]

Logical, or even rational, thinking had left her head and she followed the man with no protest. An adventure lay ahead and all she wanted was to be part of it. The thought caused her to grin madly to herself.

…The Skipray Blastboat…

Definitely wasn’t what she was expecting, but it wasn’t in the bad way. If fact, the sight of the ship sent more waves of enthusiasm and excitement through her body. She was about to follow him aboard the ship when she stopped abruptly.

She cocked her head to the side, causing the few strands of chocolate brown hair to fall back into her face. Her features were contorted with question, she wanted to know just one thing before she stepped aboard his ship.

“What is your name?”

[HK-48]

A green HK-50 droid appears out of the blue in the doorway of the ship.
"Statement: He is Cortanak Sylux, a cross-breed between Ubese and Mandolorian. Explanation: I am his Personal Snipe- eh, I mean Protocol Droid. HK-48 at your service."

The torn apart, junky droid walked across the ship with a metallic stacatto of footsteps. He sat down in the co-pilot's seat and started the ship.

"Advice: Master, I'm revving the ship! Get in and start piloting! I will attend to your guest."

[Skye Connan]

There was no use in hiding the smirk that pulled at the corner of her lips; it was all too easy to hear the droid slip in its speech. She stepped aboard the Skipray Blastboat with a fleeting glance behind her… Coruscant was no longer her home.

She glanced around his ship with interest; everything from the roar to the awakening engine to the HK droid was completely intriguing. From where she stationed herself, Skye examined the droid; it was green…very green. She hadn’t seen a green droid before, much less a “Protocol Droid” as it referred to itself as.

HK-48, if she recalled right, had said the man’s name was Cortanak Sylux…and he wasn’t the average species blend. Skye wasn’t quite sure what it was, but she was fascinated by this man. He was different and she liked things that were different.

“So, you’re a cross between Ubese and Mandalorian…” Her voice was directed in a soft way; her words weren’t meant to insult him. She was merely interested in the man who was taking her to Eclipse.

She crossed her arms over her chest as she observed both the HK droid and Cortanak from her stationed spot. Her face remained neutral as the ship jumped to life…

“If you don’t mind me asking, are you mercenary or a bounty hunter?” She hoped her assumptions about the man were correct; initially Mandalorians and Ubese were commonly characterized as money makers out for hire.

[HK-48]

"*Cough* Well, you could say I might be both. But then again, I am capable of, things..."


"Needed Correction: He is neither. He is his own hunter. We are partners, aren't we Master?" the HK Model said.


"Yes HK, we are. Now, can you get Astrogation charts to Peragus II?"

"Confirmation: Yes, Master. Downloading Astrogation Chart Schematics for Peragus during last hour update..."

[Skye Connan]

This time, Skye didn't smile and only a lone nod followed the slight conversation between Sylux and the droid. They were an exquisite pair, probably one that balanced each other out.

She moved from her position to stand behind Sylux. Moments passed and she never said a word; she only watched. She watched his hands dance across the control panel, the flashing lights of the systems checks, and the droid as it helped its master.

Still, she had questions that she wanted to ask, but she contained herself. Questions would come later; for now she sat back and watched the systematic routine of Cortanak and the HK droid.

[HK-48]

"HK, we're here. Get out. You know what to do," Sylux said while piloting right above the hangar bay of Pergaus II's main mining facility.

"Affirmative, Master. Deploying Recon Droids. I will meet you here when I call."

Sylux pushed a button and the droid jumped out of the Blastboat,"Plans have changed. You know how to drive a Skipper?" Corta asked with a smile on his face.

[Skye Connan]

Connan must have looked like an idiot with the expression she made; it was something between shock and demoralization. Was he serious?

Nearly all her life she had been on the run, sure, she had been on a lot of ships; but never had she piloted one. Nor did she ever try to? It was something that she really never thought of doing before; but now, when she thought about it, learning to pilot might have been a good thing to have done.

She rubbed the back of head, a bit embarressed. "I, ah, never touch the controls of one of these baby's before."

[HK-48]

"Haha! Really? Well, I happen to have a manual, right, here!"

He pulled a book out of a almost-closed shelf and handed to her,"I have an astromech droid in the back. He's funny and nice if you know how to talk astromech! Here's the code for his restraining bolt: 31174!"

Cortanak took his helmet and put it on over his short, blonde hair. He positioned himself at the right angle and jumped! Corta floated through space to the Hangar Bay. Then, he and HK-48 dissappeared from Skye's sight. The Skipray Blastboat was still above the mining facility.

[Skye Connan]

...What...just...happened...?

Skye looked at the manual in her delicate hands, this man obviously thought that she was incapable of flying the Skipray Blaskboat, which she wasn't of course, but still...Cortanak just...left her there. She found herself grinning again, this made him all the more interesting.

Examining the manual in her hands, she quickly read the first couple of pages. Heaving a sigh moments later she decide it was useless; her mind ticked at the silence inside the ship. Then she remembered...

...

"Alright. He said 3-1-1-7-4." She spoke to herself as she punched in the code for the astromech droid. It took no more than a few seconds for the astromech to burst into life and when it did, Skye was not prepared. She fell backwards onto the hard floor and there was nothing stopping the string of curses that rushed from her mouth.

Skye stood with a moments irritation in her eyes as she observed the droid 'wake'. All the while, her hand absently rubbed the forming bruise on her elbow from moments earlier.

"Damn droid."

[Adrea Veliner]

[PLANET ECLIPSE]

:: Adrea looked at the planet as she reached her destination, and focused her mind on where the dark side energy was strongest as she took the Firespray down to the surface ::

[Tetsuya Hairetsutsu]

Tetsuya groaned as they landed, the roar of the engines waking him roughly. In daze, he rolled over, toppling out of his hammock and thudding onto the metal floor. He let out a cry, awaking instantly and pulling himself to his feet.

"I guess we're here then..." he muttered under his breath.

He changed into his robes, clipping his saber to his waist and pulling a brown cloak over him, before heading out to meet Adrea.

[Carthis]

The afternoon sky was pale blue and flecked with asteroid shadows. On the outskirts of a small village, harvesters rolled through golden fields, wind turbines swept against the sweet warm air of the third season, and somewhere beyond the valley, a lonely bell tolled. The village folk were wise enough to turn a blind eye to the stirrings in the tavern, and simple enough to let the dim flashing lights in space go unnoticed.

Silently, a tiny yellow speck of light appeared above, it moved swiftly and disappeared behind a large white cloud. An ore-trader travelling with a caravan of industrial merchants had noticed it and pointed. They all looked up and heard a faint rumble, it grew louder and louder, until finally the light burst through the cloud in full blazing glory. They compared the sound of the falling object to the sound of a scorching furnace and stood agog, watching the searing ball of orange and red tear across the sky trailing thick black smoke. It shot overhead and plummeted into the valley, with a screeching clang it ripped a wind turbine in half and crashed into a large cropfield. Soon, the air was filled with the smell of burning wheat.

Minutes later, the street outside the tavern was filled with shrieks and women ran aghast. A figure stumbled into the doorway, blocking out the daylight. He wore a black Imperial fighter pilot's jumpsuit which was frayed and torn and shimmered in places where blood seeped through. His skin was charred grey, his face, already mutilated by scar tissue, was lacerated and blood trickled freely from his mouth and nose. He supported himself by gripping the doorframe on either side while he scanned the room. A thin smile played on his lips when he saw the congregation and he staggered forecefully towards them.

Upon his knees he fell, and he gazed up at Darth Lucid with wild eyes, scarlet with smoke irritation, and bared his bloody teeth in an overjoyed grin. His forehead fell upon the Dark Lord's knee.

"I am here for you, my Lord."

[Darth Lucid]

Lucid saw Fraro enter the tavern; he could feel them all approaching. He stood up from the shadows he was hiding in. As he did so Fraro dropped to his knee before him. Before he could say anything to the young man two more arrivals came into the tavern a young human male and a falleen female.

Just again as he was about to speak yet another man entered the tavern. He looked as if he had seen better days. The man came up to him and dropped to his knees as well. Is this what it's like to be a God he thought to himself? But he shook off the delusion and just looked down at the two men at his knees.

"Stand up you fools. Sith do not grovel like slaves for food scraps."

Lucid waited for the two men to rise from there knees.

"There are still a few more we are waiting on in the mean time get to know your new allies. You will be working together allot to revive the meaning of sith."

[Rossos Atrapes]

He had heard the call, of course. It came to him in a dream. The darkness he embraced was singing in his blood to answer the call, to grow in strength until none could stand before him.

He was tempted; oh how he was tempted. The promise of strength nearly lured him, had it not been for his refusal to give in to the call of darkness. He had too much pride in himself and the way he handled "business" to do so. It was not that he followed the light-side of the Force, but that he knew what the power that he was promised truly was:

An illusion.

Power was like true safety and security; like happiness; like peace. They were ephemeral abstracts that clouded one's judgement and made them prone to mistakes and errors. He knew that this mind-set was doctrine for the Inquisitoriate; however much so his feelings on the truth behind safety and the Empire were not.

But, he reasoned as he left the fresher and opened a ration-bar to stave off the early morning hunger that made his stomch roar for attention, he had found in his travels after leaving Imperial Centre that no one held the entire truth. The Light-Siders were close, he would admit that much. But the ideals of security and safety as close as one could get in this day and age were what he felt was the closest; the Empire embodied that ideal. He subscribed fully to the widely held notion that Inquisitors were the ones who would damn themselves so that no others would be so.

He grinned. If felt good to be damned at times, he thought. He idly entertained tendering a proposal to see if they could plant a mole within the Gathering. The reply was short, but not quite clear:

Negative. Sources indicate that chances would be minimal for adequate reconnaissance and gathering of intelligence before the agent is terminated. Plans are being discussed. Continue with present mission.

As always, there was no telling who sent the message, though the fact it was from the Inquisitoriate was a given. None had the precise codes for reaching Inquisitors such as he other than the proper people within the Temple itself. Thus, Rossos busied himself with preparing the ship for lift-off. There were stories of odd happenings on Raxus-Prime that seemed to reverberate within his Force-sense. He would go there, and ignore the blinded call for a long dead order to re-awaken.

He had better things to do.

[Rakkel Thunderwing]

The beacon, as Rakkel described it, allowed him to pilot through the asteroid field directly to the planet. The concentrated energies on Eclipse's surface were close enough together that it allowed him to enter the atmosphere and locate the village where the Sith gathered. Various ships were landed just outside the community, Rakkel followed suit.

Landing gear extended and the ship settled to the ground on its repulsers. A signal to the rest of the passengers that it was time to disembark. The three adepts and Rakkel walked down the ramp and into the community. They entered the tavern, Rakkel ahead of the others. He waved a hand for them to sit.

"Quite the turn out." he commented. "How many others have yet to arrive?"