Resurrection: Life and Death

[Sumor Rayial]

**Sumor had been away from the TSE headquarters on Munto Codru for a few weeks now. Noone except a few of the council members knew where he was and what he was doing, not even his wife.

The seperation from all those he cared about and called friend and comrad was becoming worth it. The project was almost complete, there only lay one last, and dangerous stage, and a new home would be completed where once sat only hard rock and ore.

He took a deep breath of the pure oxygen being fed into his enviro-suits helmet, the enviromental systems hadn't been started yet, they couldn't. Not until the crews had blasted away the last section of rock.

It was almost time...

Looking around he spotted the head demolitions officer and walked over.**

Are we ready?

"Yes sir. We're just pulling our men back now. Should be five minutes."

Good. Are all the safty measures in place?

"Believe so sir. There are some variables that we are guessing at, we still don't completely understand this ore, but we think we have the right safty messures in place."

Do the best you can, and err on the side of caution if you have too. I don't want to lose anybody on this project.

"Yes sir, understood sir."

Notify me when your ready to blast.

**The demolitions expert nodded and returned to his preperations.

Sumor started to walk back towards one of the 6 or so "safe" areas. Small bunkers that had been set up to protect the workers from flying debris and small shards of rock.

Exactly five minutes later the demolitions commanders voice came up on the comm system.**

"Prepare to blast."

**There was a last second bustle of activity as the last of the crews ran for the bunkers before the countdown.**

"Ten...Nine...Eight...Seven...Six............Four.. .Three...Two...One...Fire in the hole."

**With those last words the cavernous space filled with a horrific explosion. Sumor watched with terror as the cloud of dust cascaded over his bunker. He knew the explosion was many times greater than it should have been.

All he could do was stand there, his ears ringing, and wait for the dust to clear to survey the damage. He didn't even hear the loud crashing sound as the caverns roof fell down on top of the bunker. All there was, was dust, and then black.**

[Donteran Valnare]

Donte had been in the upper levels of the complex inspecting the new environmental system when the explosion rocked the underground complex. He didn't even need the comm message that flashed over all of the channels a few seconds later telling him that something bad had happened.

Making his way down the hallways as fast as his legs and the enviro-suit would carry him Donte made it to the cavern a few minutes after the blast. What he was met with blew his mind. A large portion of the caverns roof had fallen away burying the area where he knew bunkers three, four and five had been positioned.

Looking around Donte spotted a captain barking out orders to some troopers who had started using some of the heavy equipment to move the ruble. Making his way over Donte returned the salute shot his way.

Who's in command down here?

"I don't know sir. The Major that was in charge of the demolition team was in bunker three, and I haven't seen anyone higher in rank than myself. So I guess that puts you in charge sir."

I thought Lord Rayial was down here?

"Yes sir, one of the men that was in bunker six reported seeing Lord Rayial entering bunker four."

Donte's jaw dropped and he looked over the pile of ruble again, he didn't know if even a Sith Lord could have survived that.

Shaking his head, Donte pushed that thought out of his mind and started barking out orders. If they were to find anyone alive he would need calculated thought and a cool head, not panic.

[Sumor Rayial]

**He woke up with a start. He couldn't feel anything, his senses were numb. Opening his eyes all he saw was black... Was he dead, he wondered to himself silently. No there was the tell tale sound of a breathing apparatus. Concentrating harder he could feel the slight texture of the bacta that surrounded him.

Thinking hard he tried to remember what had happened. All that came was hearing the countdown, the explosion and then nothing. What had happened? He didn't know the answer, but knew that eventually he would probably find out.

Taking a deep breath into the mask that covered his face Sumor started to do a check on his on body. Slowly he commanded his brain to move muscles. First his neck back and forth, his left arm, left leg, right leg, and finally his right arm... Wait, no it didn't move.

Focusing he tried to move it again. Again nothing. Lifting his head up he looked down, yes his arm was still there, but horribly wounded. The bacta had started to heal the wounds, but there were still the signs that his arm had been seriously hurt.

Letting out another deep sigh Sumor just lay suspended in the bacta. There was nothing he could do for his body or to find out what had happened until one of the medical staff came to check on him, and those questions would drive him crazy until he found the answer.**

[Sumor Rayial]

"Vitals?"

"Stable sir, the monitors show that he may have regained consciousness during the night but he's out cold again. That's the good news, the bad news is that the wounds have stopped healing."

**The army doctor sighed, it wasn't really what he had wanted to hear, but the fact that the Sith Lord was stable was better than nothing.**

"Adjust the bacta mixture to include some of that new additive that we received from the Ciz."

"Aye sir."

**The young corpsman grabbed a vial from the medical cabinet that rested against one of the walls. Taking a sirynge from one of the shelves he filled the needle with 50 cc's's of the liquid. Moving to the bacta tank he entered it into a valve and pushed down on the plunger. It only took a moment for the mixing to take effect.

Suddenly Sumor started convulsing violently in the tank.**

"What's happening?"

**The first thoughts through the corpsman's mind was that he had done something wrong possibly killing the Sith Lord.**

"Looks like an alergic reaction. Start flushing the tank, lets get him out of there."

**The corpsman started pushing buttons and the green bacta started to flush from the tank, when the situation got even worse. The vital signs were flat-lining.**

"Flat-line!!!"

"Shock him. 250"

**The corpsman pressed a button and an electrical shock shot through the tank.**

"No change, still flat-line"

"300"

**Another charge shot through the tank.**

"Nothing."

"Again"

**The corpsman did as he was told and shocked Sumor again.**

"No change."

"Brain activity?"

"None. No heartbeat, no brain waves.... Nothing."

**The doctor reached up with one hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and fore finger. He hated losing patients, and this one was a council member and sith lord of the Sith Empire. He turned to the corpsman and spoke softly his voice full of a mix of fear and agony.**

"Drain the tank. Remove the body for autopsy. I'll notify the Council and return. We must determine if the reaction was to the new additive, and if so if it was just an isolated thing. We can't risk losing anyone else to it."

**The corpsman did nothing but nod. His eyes were still fixated on the four straight lines that signaled something so final that everyone feared it.... Death.**

[Sumor Rayial]

**The room was dark, quiet and cold. The plans for the new facility had included a morgue, but noone had expected to need it, at least not this soon. The body of the Sith Lord was alone and would probably stay that way. There had only been a couple of other deaths from the collapse of the roof and those bodies had already been loaded on fleet vessels and shipped to their home planets for proper burial.

The silence was eerie and deafening. Some of the troops who had visited the infirmary only 200 feet away had whispered to others about feeling something, something mysterious and powerful, almost like the force energy from the Lord was being released into the air due to his death.

Little did they know how close to the truth they were. There was a storm brewing of pure force energy and it was concentrated on the morgue.

With the soft crackle of pure dark energy, tendrils of electricity began leaping from the metallic surfaces throughout the room and into the still body.

Hearing noise coming from the morgue a orderly cautiously pushed the steel swinging doors. As the light entered faintly illuminating the room the orderly's eyes opened wide with fright, the metal table in the middle of the room where the body once laid was empty. That was the last thought the orderly ever had as the blade of a knife plunged through the back of his neck severing his brain stem killing him instantly. As the dead body fell to the ground a muscular figure slipped into the shadows and moved silently away from the area.**

[Sumor Rayial]

**A dark figure slipped from one shadow to another slowly making his way through the complex. The environmental system had been running for hours now and the soft wishing of the circulation fans could be heard through the vents lining the hallways.

Eventually the figure found his way to a locked door with a name plate on it, and a keypad to the right of it. Keying in the correct sequence of digits the door opened with a silent hiss and the figure stepped into the darkness only to step out again a couple minutes later resuming his shadow jumping.

Riding an empty lift up one floor the figure silently moved towards a door 50 feet from the lift. Knocking lightly on the door he waited for a response.**

"Enter"

**Pushing the button on the right hand side of the door it slid open to reveal the doctor that had pronounced Sith Lord Rayial deceased working at his desk, without even looking up from his work to find who it was he spoke.**

"Yes what is it?"

Have you sent the message to Headquarters about Lord Rayial yet?

"Yes I just sent it."

That's too bad.

"What?"

**The doctor looked up and his face dropped.**

"You........."

**Those were the last words the doctor ever spoke as two quick cracks followed by a single crack filled the room. The quick double tap to the doctors heart killed him instantly but the third shot to his head made sure of the fact.

As quickly as he came, the figure slipped from the room leaving the body of the dead doctor slumped in his chair. Resuming his shadow hopping the figure moved back towards the lift and down to the temporary living quarters for the workers and troops were quartered.**

[Sumor Rayial]

**Dark black eyes stared back at themselves in a mirror. Sumor had found himself back in his temporary quarters wondering what to do now. He was dead, or at least so was now thought by all other than the good doctor, and well he wouldn't be telling anyone anything.

That was easily fixed though with a simple message. His arm on the other hand still fell limp at his side. He had so far not been able to regain the use of it. How would he be able to carry on as a Sith with only one good arm? He already knew the answer to that, and was already searching for alternatives.

Turning away from the mirror Sumor headed out of his quarters and towards the communication center. Upon stepping in the door he was greeted with a look of shock from the soldier on duty, waving the look away with a wave of his good hand Sumor ordered him to send off a message to the council.

The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated. The project will be continuing without me and should be finished soon. I will be taking a trip to take care of some business, I shall be returning as soon as that is completed.

Lord Rayial

After the message had been sent Sumor sent another, this one was encoded and sent not to TSE HQ but to the home he shared with his wife.

If you have been told anything about me it is false... My business here is almost complete. I must take another trip however and shall return soon.

Sumor

Sending the last message Sumor made his way back to his quarters to pack up what little he had brought with him, and then headed for the shuttle bay where he "commandeered" a command shuttle for the trip home... to Tarris.**

[Sumor Rayial]

**It had been more than a week since Sumor had comandeered a shuttle and left the new military HQ set up deep inside one of the dead planets in the Dilonexa system. At first he had no idea of where he was going to head. He knew that he couldn't return to the empire with his arm hanging limp at his side like it was. Then he remembered reading something in a intelligence breifing a few months back. A scientist working on the planet Rudrig had developed a new technique for regenerating the blood vessels and nerve endings in a damaged area. Something that had only been 40% effective with simple bacta treatment, had been made 90% effective by Dr. Hedamcei and his new technique. Setting a course to a Rudrig in the Corporate Sector Authority Sumor sat back and tried to remember the specifics of the technique.


That had been 4 days ago. Now the shuttle softly landed on the pad of the local spaceport. It had been fairly easy to get authorization to land even without using the force to persuade the controller.

After shutting down all the systems Sumor stepped out still wearing the dirty black fatigues that he had been wearing the day of the blast that left his arm paralysed. Making his way towards the spaceport terminal Sumor began asking questions about Dr. Hedamcei, and soon knew the location of the doctors lab.

It was a short hovercab ride from the terminal to the lab complex where Hedamcei worked, and finding the lab number was even easier. Two flights of stairs and a short walk down the hall later, Sumor found himself standing in front of the door of Dr. Hedamcei's office. Without knocking Sumor stepped into the lab to find a man in a white lab coat standing over a lab table with his back to the door.**

Dr. Hedamcei?

**The man turned around obviously startled by the unexpected visitor.**

"Yes, who are you? And what do you want here?"

My name is not important doctor, and what I want should be plain to see.

**Sumor held up his damaged arm with his left hand. Without another word the doctor rushed over and began inspecting his damaged arm with great intrest. In the year that he had been conducting experiments on damaged limbs he had never seen one so severly damaged. All colour had faded from the limb signalling complete loss of blood circulation.**

"How? How did this happen? I have never seen such damage to a limb."

Like my name, the circumstances surrounding the accident that left my arm like this does not concern you. I have only come here for one reason... Can you repair it?

"I...I...I don't know. As I said it is the most sever case I have seen."

Well Doc, there's a first time for everything. So lets get started shall we?

**The doctor nodded and led Sumor to another room to prep for the lengthy proceedure.**

[Sumor Rayial]

**Sumor had changed into the shorts that one usually wore when they were put in the bacta tank, but the tank that he was standing in front of didn't look like any bacta tank he had ever seen. As he climbed in and layed down the doctor came over to start attaching sensor pads, and electrodes to Sumor's body, and incerted a pair of IV tubes into his arms.**

"Now you understand that the risks involved are somewhat higher then getting into a normal bacta tank, including possibly some physical change."

How much change?

**Sumor asked the question but short of an answer of complete mutation he wasn't going to change his mind about the proceedure.**

"Well in a few less sever cases my patients have suffered some muscle loss. Although my assistant is still tracking the data, their may be mental effects also."

Those are inconciquencal to me. Begin the procedure.

**With a shagrined look the doctor administered the first of several heavy doses of sedatives. The proceedure at times could be painful and he did not want the patient to suffer any pain from those times. As his eyes closed, Sumor could feel the bacta liquid begin to fill the tank before he slipped into an unconcious state.

When the tank was filled Dr. Hedamcei pushed a series of buttons on the pannel attached to the tank. As he did a series of drugs began to flow through the tubes and into Sumor's veins and the first part of the treatment was started.**

[Sumor Rayial]

**The first phase was complete. As Dr. Hedamcei checked on Sumors vitals and began the second of the three phases he had no way of knowing that the electrical shocks being administered to aide in new nerve growth was wreaking havoc with Sumor's sub-conscious mind.

The memories of the electrical torture Sumor had endured a long time ago, when he was still with the elite Black Omega on Tarris returned and began torturing his soul once more. Over and over the scene played out in his mind. He was hung under a shower head by chains attached to the ceiling. Attached to the metal cuffs around his wrists were a pair of electrical clips that ran back to the wall and obviously to a power source somewhere down the line. The shower would turn on randomly, and when it was, pulses of electricity were sent through his body in regular intervals causing screams of pain to escape his mouth.

*************
Finding everything in order the doctor took one last check of Sumor's vitals and then left only to return to begin the final phase of the treatment. It was to early to tell for sure, but the doctor was confident that this case would prove his theories correct, or at least the ones about the severity of the injury that the treatment would be able to cure.

*************

Sumor's mind was so engulfed in reliving the torture over and over again that his sub-conscious did not notice the intermittent images of a shadowed figure draped in a cloak, a pair of deep crimson eyes staring out from beneath the hood. If it had his sub-conscious would have noticed that the figure was moving closer and closer, his form becoming clearer.

[Sumor Rayial]

**The figure was getting closer, and his sub conscious began to recognize that it was there. Was it something from his sub-conscious? Something that hadn't already surfaced with the majority of his other suppressed memories? A sound filled his head but he couldn't make out what it was, it almost sounded like a voice calling out to him.**

"You call yourself a dark lord?"

**It was a voice, but what was it saying? Sumor still could not completely make out the voice in his head.**

"You call yourself a dark lord?"

Who? What?

"You call yourself a dark lord?"

**Sumor could hear the voice, but he did not know where it was coming from or what it wanted, was it simply a figment of his sub-concourse mind trying to pull him from the thoughts of the torture, or was it more?**

"ANSWER ME!!!!"

I do not call myself a dark lord, I am a dark lord.

"You are no dark lord. You are nothing more than an Imperial fool with special gifts. You do not train in the arts of the Sith. No you train in the cockpit of fighters. You are no dark lord."

I am no Imperial maggot, I am Sith.

"You? You who helped the once proud and glorious Sith Empire lower itself to nothing more then a second rate Imperial faction. However they have been blessed with the chance to change their ways, will you join them in becoming Sith once again?"

Change? I think not, I have just completed something that will ensure that the Sith Empire's military stays strong for generations of Sith to come.

"So you are not only a faux Sith, but also a hypocrite? You are more of a fool then I thought. The Empire has been given a chance by an outside event. It is yet written on whether they will grasp it, or continue on their non Sith path. By the same event, you are now being given a chance to change by me, it would be wise to choose to accept."

And who are you give me a chance, let alone tell me to change?

"In time. In time..."

**The figures crimson eyes flared brightly illuminating the figures face, or lack of. All that Sumor could see was a scull that housed the crimson eyes staring back at him before he was returned to the darkness as the doctor began the final phase of the treatment.**

[Sumor Rayial]

**The final phase was under way. In less than five hours Sumor would be out of the tank. So far the visions had stopped and Sumor was resting peacefully. How long that would last he didn't know, nor did he really care. The first vision had caused enough questions to start running through his head that he didn't need more.

One thing was obvious. Something had happened to the Empire. From what he had been told it was still together, at least relatively, but something had changed. The vision had called them Imperials, but then said they had the chance to change back to the way of the Sith.

So what changes a Sith to an Imperial?

**The thought ran through his mind over and over. Finally it came to him, the fleet.**

<font color=darkred>"You who helped the once proud and glorious Sith Empire lower itself to nothing more then a second rate Imperial faction."</font>

**The voice of the vision echoed in his head.**

Of course. I was one of the founders of the fleet and am the commander. I created the fleets...... So if they are no longer this Imperial faction, then something must have happened to the fleets.

**Had they been attacked? They must have been, the Empire had to tight a grip on the fleet for them to have revolted en mass. There was no other explanation. And what was only one answer to what was left. Viscera! The Galactic Empire was the only group that could rival the Empire....

Suddenly the bright crimson flash was back and slowly it faded away into a pair of crimson eyes belonging to what Sumor now knew was a skull.**

"You think you have determined the answer. You are wrong."

How could I be? Viscera is the only one with enough power to threaten the Empire.

"Power comes in many forms, even from non-Sith."

What are you saying? A revolt? Impossible.

"Nothing is impossible. Your fleets are gone. The Empire is choosing a new path. Change is at hand. Will you grasp it?"

**Sumor did not answer. He was shocked by the news. It was all he knew, it was how he was raised, it was his past and his present, and now it seemed, it would not be his future. Suddenly the vision spoke, reading his thoughts.**

"Your change will be hard. You will have to learn a new. It will be a challenge, one worthy of your rank and maybe more. Are you willing to accept a challenge?"

Yes...

**Even answering Sumor didn't know if he truly believed it himself. He would try, and if failure was the result, then his fate would be sealed.**

"You will not fail! Failure is not an option."

Then tell me what I must do.

"In time... In time..."

**With another flash of crimson the vision was gone and Sumor was left wondering what lay before him.**

[Sumor Rayial]

**Sumor slowly begain regaining consciousness. His mind was a little hazy still, but it was getting there. His first thought was of his arm. Concentrating hard he tried to move his right hand or arm. At first there was nothing, but after several attempts he could feel his fist slowly clench. It had worked he thought with relief, but what had been the cost? He could feel that his body had changed somewhat, but to what extent he didn't know. Nor would he find out until he was out of the tank, and that would be soon he realized as he could already feel the liquid bacta subsiding from around his body.

After waiting several minutes Sumor found himself laying on the bottom of the tank, and listening to the seals as they let go and the tank opened. As he climbed out it was hard to tell from the look on the doctors face how much if any his outward appearance had changed, but like he had told the doctor before, it didn't matter as long as he regained the use of his arm.**

"Well let's take a look shall we?"

**Taking his arm in his hand Dr. Hedamcei began to examine the limb.**

"The colour looks much healthier. Please try and move you fingers."

**The resulting movement as minor as they may have seemed to an outside observer, brought a wide smile to the doctors face.**

"Excellent. I predict that in little time, with the proper excersises of course, you will regain full use of your arm and hand again... And even more over there was only minor changes to your physic."

What do you consider minor doc?

"Well see for yourself."

**The doctor led Sumor to a full length mirror where he was met with a reflection foreign to him, but not unpleasant at all. Sumor guessed that he had lost approximately 25 pounds of muscle mass from his upper body. What remained was still muscular, but not built as he had once been. His hair had also been tinted a shade darker **

Minor they are, but not unwelcome.....

**Sumor turned to continue his sentence but was interrupted by a voice that had become familiar to him in the tank.**

"Kill him. Let him be the first on your new journey."

**Sumor eyes turned to the same crimson that he had seen in his visions and looked over at the doctor who had his back turned to him looking over some of the experiment data.**

...unfortunately for you, you won't be able to publish about them.

**Quickly grabbing the doctor from behind he wrapped his arms around his head and body, and with a quick slashing movement with his left hand snapped the doctor's neck killing him instantly.**

"Excellent now we can continue. Let us begin your journey shall we?"

**With only a nod Sumor headed towards the door and from there back towards the spaceport and his shuttle.**

[Sumor Rayial]

**Sumor had entered the spaceport and headed for the TSE shuttle that he had arrived in when the voice began to speak again.**

"No!"

No?

"That is a piece of your past not your future."

Very well, then how do you suppose I depart this planet?

"Their is a hanger to your left and 137 feet away. Inside is the ship that will lead you into your future."

**Learning not to question the instructions that he was given Sumor headed for the hanger. When he arrived he found a ship of a shape and configuration that he had never seen before. Walking around it he approached the ramp that was lowered from below the nose of the craft. Unclipping his saber, Sumor began to slowly climb the ramp when he was startled by the dark voice again.**

"There is no need for that. It is yours."

How?

"Do you truly believe that my influence only encompass Sith?? No I didn't think so."

**Sumor didn't even answer the voice, he was beginning to know better than to question the abilities of this long dead Sith Lord. Clipping his saber back to his belt Sumor headed up the ramp and with little trouble located the cockpit of his new ship. After a few minutes just to become aquatinted with the systems and controls the engines began to power up, and five minutes after locating the craft it was arcing upwards towards the vacuum of space beyond. The destination was already programmed into the Nav computer, leaving Sumor simply to sit back and examine the schematics of his new ship. Liking it more and more as he learned of new features encased in the exotic shell.**