Learning the Art (part2) : The Cold within(finished)

[Lord DarkStar]

DarkStar sat in the darkened room that was his quarters aboard the ISD Dreamchaser, his eyes burnt brightly, the only light in the room. He was thinking. The occurance with the Cold had unsettled him and he intended to find out what was going on.

Withdrawing into himself DarkStar looked for the place he had imprissoned the Cold. In the deepest depths of his soul, the blackest pits of the Sith's being he found the Cold. Evil and malevolant the Cold resonated a pure hatred of its captor.

What are you?

DarkStar asked the Cold. It strained against the bonds that held it, trying to reach its tormentor.

We/I is the Dark Side

It was like a cacophony of voices all speaking at once, DarkStar realed back, the pain caused by that voice was imence. DarkStar couldn't work out wether the Cold had said I or We, it was as though both words were said at the same time but only percieved as one.

You will release us/me at once, surender to us/me. That is the price you pay for your life.

DarkStar pushed on the chains that held the Cold in check, strengthening them against it's attempts to escape.

The Cold's hatred deepened. It was almost unbearable now, threatening to over come him, to crush the flame that was the core of his being. DarkStar called on all the power he had available to him in that place, raising defences about him. Still it was invain though and at last he fled, retreating to the concious world.

He looked up, the comm was flashing, he furrowed his brow and moved over to it.

Message waiting

Flashed on and off infront of him. He was about to press play when something odd struck him, he hadn't been facing the Cold long enough for someone to leave a message. Confused he checked his chrono. He let out a start of suprise, nearly seven hours had passed in what seemed like a few moments. He would have to be careful facing the cold in the future.

Wiping the sweat, which drenched his whole body, from his forehead he played the message. It was routine reports from the captain. Only one thing of note caught his eye, about the same time he had begun his confruntation with the cold the temperature all over the vessel had dropped by almost four degrees and they had been unable to raise it again.

DarkStar checked the temperature now, it was back to normal. This was curious, and disturbing. The Sith Lord tried to stand but found his legs too weak to hold his weight. He sat back on the floor and switched the lights on with a thought.

Leaning over the pollished table DarkStar looked at his reflection. It was a stranger staring back at him and the Sith Lord jumped back, it took him several moments to gather himself to look again. The face which stared back was old, lines crossed his face, his eyes were sunken deep within their sockets. His hair was grayed and thin wavy strands.

DarkStar looekd down at his hands, the skin clung tightly to the bones, veins showed through and liverspots dotted along the backs. DarkStar turned himself round, leaning against the table for support as he tried to make sense of what had happened. He felt a chill run through him but then it was gone.

[Lord Sabre]

Sabre, part human, part machine, all cyborg creation of Lord DarkStar had come to see his "father". The animosity between the two of them was causing friction where none should exist. Sabre had come to see DarkStar to put an end to it, one way or another.

The Stormtroopers onboard the ISD were most helpful, almost as though they had been ordered to give him what ever he needed. Eventually he realised what was going on. The TDG insignia he wore on his left breast. It was the rank crest of a Captain, so they were treating him thus. He laughed to himself. One thing he could thank DarkStar for, all his needs had been catered for by TDG.

At last he came to the quaters used by his "father". He could in theory he supposed use his rank to over ride the locks and get in but that wasn't polite and one of them had to start somewhere.

He stood infront of the door for a long moment. Gathering himself for the encounter that he knew would come as soon as he stepped through the door. Memories that weren't his own dansed around inside his head. Conflicting images that led him to believe the Force Vampyre was a very complex man, far more complex than Sabre had first assumed.

As the various memories surfaced and disappeared Sabre began to wonder if he had misjudged the man he called father, if these memories were true, which he suspected they were then perhaps, just perhaps the Sith Lord was not nesserserily justified but maybe forgiveable for what he had done.

Slowly Sabre reached up and pressed the pad by the door. He could hear the bleep the comm made inside. He could hear breathing as well, ragged and laboured. Slightly irritated he pressed the comm again. Once more he head the bleep and the breathing.

Something was wrong. DarkStar never needed two bleeps to answer his door. Sabre pressed the computer terminal.

"Computer open Lord DarkStar's quarters. Acess request by Lord Sabre,"

Moments later the computer replied in its dry and dulcet tone

"Acess denided. Overide not acepted. Insuficient acess level,"

Sabre swore and ignited Hades he would cut his way in if he had to, if that's what it took to find out what was wrong.

[Lord DarkStar]

DarkStar was having trouble getting his breath. He could do almost nothing, not even open the door to his quarters. Not that he wanted to, he could tell who was out there. The Force was strong with his "son" and he shone like a light in the darkness. He was the last thing DarkStar needed right now in his weakened state.

Leaning his head back against the table and closing his eyes DarkStar furrowed his brow in concentration. Despite the effort required he reached out with the Force and pushed on the door control. He didn't want Sabre to do something rash, like cut a whole in his door. There was a hiss as the door slid open revealing the young warrior, lightsabre ignited in his hand.

He looked suprised by the sudden opening of the door but regained himself quickly, stepping inside he used the light from his weapon to partially illuminate the room. The light hurt DarkStar's eyes, having spent so long in the darkened room.

"Lights, dim"

He croaked weakly, but the computer picked it up and slowly the light level in the room began to rise till both of them could see each other clearly.

DarkStar quinted against the light, his eyes flicked to the door as it hissed shut. Imidiatly his eyes flicked back to Sabre, who still stood with Hades ignited in his hand.

"Do you plan on using that?"

DarkStar croaked at him. Sabre looked at him, hatred behind his eyes.

"Could you stop me? I don't think so but I probebly don't need to, looks like you are about to die any way,"

Deep within him DarkStar could feel the Cold laughing. Laughing at what it had done to him, laughing at the plight he now found himself in. DarkStar scowled inwardly, he need Chryn, not Sabre. He didn't trust his apprentice as far as he could throw an SSD but he knew he wouldn't try to kill him. He wouldn't dare.

Sabre had no such compulsions though, he had even said given the chance he would kill the Sith Lord. DarkStar's calculated mind began to work, formulating plans for any situation that could possibly occur. He came up with one plan for almost all situations. Die.

If the warrior choose to end his life, there was nothing he could do about it. For some reason the thought did not worry the Sith Lord and that he could not understand.

Slowly though he felt his strenght returning to him, he would need to feed to regenerate his body but his strength at least was coming back.

"Come then,"

His voice was stronger now, still reedy, but no longer croaky.

"If you mean to finish me, do it,"

[Lord Sabre]

Sabre looked at the old man before him, how the might have fallen he thought to himself. DarkStar's voice brought him out of his thoughts and he shook his head. He thumbed the gem on Hades and the weapon switched off.

"I came here to resolve our differences once and for all. Killing you would end it but could I live with myself, knowing there may have been a chance?"

DarkStar stared at him. His expression unreadable to the warrior. At last Sabre sat on the floor opposite DarkStar.

"Tell me what you need old man, so that I may do this quickly and then leave,"

DarkStar laughed which brought a fit of coughing. In between coughs he gestured at the comm.

"Chryn,"

He managed to say through the coughs. Sabre nodded and pressed the comm. There were a couple of beeps before the computer voice sounded.

"Contact request, specify recipient,"

Sabre liked computers, probebly because he was in part one himself, their calm and unimotional responses were always perfect.

"Recipient, Lord Chryn,"

The comm beeped a couple more times as the system processed the request and contacted Lord Chryn, it took but a few seconds, to Sabre it seemed like an eternity. Finally the voice of DarkStar's apprentice came back.

"Yes my Lord?"

Sabre grinned, Chryn thought he was DarkStar.

"Chryn, this is Sabre. Something is wrong with DarkStar...he looks old."

There was a silence on the other end of the comm for a long time, finally Chryn's voice came back.

"I'm on my way,"

Sabre pushed off the comm and turned to look at DarkStar. The old man had his eyes closed and niether of them spoke till Chryn arrived.

[Lord Chryn]

Chryn arrived a couple of minutes later. The door opened of its own accord. Chryn's Dark horseman status aloud him to go almost anywhere owned by TDG unhindered. Only DarkStar's personal sanctums were off limits to him without the Sith Lord's permission.

He entered and asessed the situation quickly. He was glad he had been and got some prisoners before coming here, his master needed to feed and quickly. Chryn turned to the group of Stormtroopers and prisoners that followed him in and grabbed the nearest man. With a swift kick Chryn broke both the man's legs and pushed him in DarkStar's direction.

Bound as he was the man could not resist , he tried to wiggle away from DarkStar but Chryn put his boot into the man's back and pressed him to the floor. Listening the the man's grunts of pain for a moment he spoke.

"Thought you might need something to feed on,"

He grinned, the man screamed as he realised his fate and Chryn relished the sound like a fine vintage wine. Pure terror, such a plesant sound he mused as DarkStar rapped his hand around the mans neck.

Chryn glanced in Sabre's direction and grinned, he could tell the cyborg was uncomfortable with the feeding and probebly with Chryn's masacistic tendencies as well but then, lots of people were.

Chryn watched DarkStar devower the mans life force before tossing a second on the floor infront of his master. DarkStar took this man's life as well. Chryn could already see a change in his master, his hair was still gray but had regained much of its strength. His eyes were no longer sunk into his head and the lines on his face were fading.

Half a dozen prisoners later DarkStar looked young again. Though his eyes still looked old and more worn than usual, the rest of him appeared youthful and full of life.

Chryn bowed to his master.

"I can see you have company so I will report back later,"

He turned and made a movement of his hand, the Stormtroopers all filed out with him and DarkStar didn't say a word till they had left.

[Lord DarkStar]

As the door hissed shut behind Chryn, DarkStar turned to Sabre. His face was sombre and tired. It suprised Sabre that the man of iron was showing how he felt. DarkStar saw the look of suprise and gave dry chuckle.

"Perhaps I'm just getting old, iron corodes eventually,"

There were no chairs in the Sith's quarters so, setting two glasses and a decanter of water on the table, he sat down on the floor cross legged and motioned for Sabre to sit oposite him. He began to poor water into the two glasses as he spoke.

"You said you wanted to resolve our differences, very well, tell speak the words in your heart, you have my undivided attentinon,"

DarkStar sipped the cool water, his cold green eyes fixed on Sabre, like a predator watching its prey's every move.

[Lord Sabre]

Sabre raised the glass and sipped it, his eyes on the floor, not the once again young and powerful Sith Lord across from him. He wondered if perhaps not killing him would turn out to be a mistake he would regret for a long time.

"Ok..."

Sabre had thought long and hard about what he wanted to say to the man opposite him but now he was here the words flew right out of his mind as if they had never been.

He closed his eyes for a moment, calming himself before locking his stare with the Sith Lord.

"You told me you had created me, then you abbandoned me, why?"

This was the only question Sabre wanted an answer to, if DarkStar gave him a good enough reason, he could probebly stop hating him but if the answer was not to his liking, Sabre suspected he would try and kill his "father" concequences be damned.

He locked his eyes on those of the Sith Lord ans said nothing, giving the man he loathed time to think before answering his one and only question.

[Lord DarkStar]

DarkStar looked Sabre dead in the eye, his cold green eyes reflected death. When he spoke his voice was cold but burning with an icy passion that chilled Sabre to the bone.

"You want to know my reasons?"

DarkStar laughed, it was not his usual plesant laugh, it was hard and cold.

"But first answer me this young one, what makes you think I abandoned you? Have I not looked after you? Just because I am not around does not mean I do not look after you,"

His eyes narrowed to slits

"Think carefully then answer my question and I will answer yours"

[Lord Sabre]

Sabre stared at him open mouthed, of all the reactions he had expected from the Force Vampyre, this had not been one of them. To answer him with a question and a questioned he wasn't sure he could answer.

Sabre opened and closed his mouth like a fish as he stammered for words. At last he collected his thoughts and closed his eyes as he concidered his answer. Slowly he opened his eyes, his thoughts coming at last together. It was as if by speaking the Sith Lord had stripped away the barriers in his mind and unclouded his thoughts.

He looked up, the anger and hatred in his eyes was gone, drained away by DarkStar's answer. Finally he spoke, his voice was quiet, subdued and sorrowful.

"You never abandoned me...It was I who abandoned you."

[Lord DarkStar]

"Ahh"

The right hand side of DarkStar's mouth slid up in a half smile and his eyes twinkled with green fire again.

"I am glad young one that at last you see sense, I was beginning to wonder if you would,"

DarkStar drained the last of his water and looked Sabre straight in the eye.

"Now, if that is all cleared up...I have a long journey ahead of me and not much time to make it in."

He gestured and the door opened. He rose and motioned for Sabre to do the same.

[Lord DarkStar]

DarkStar bowed as Sabre did and watched the young man leave. He closed his eyes as the door hissed shut. Between the Cold and the Wolf DarkStar felt like he wasn't himself any more. Perhaps he wasn't he mused, he hadn't felt like his old self since he had returned from the DarkSide that was probebly why he had changed his name.

DarkStar aimlessly twiddled the ring on the ring finger of his right hand, the symbol of his captivity and his rank. The single black band was almost indistingishable from his black leather gloves. He lifted it up and touched it with the Force, the darkness around it deepened, absorbing any light that fell on it or the glove till they both disapeared.

The darkness died at a thought from the Sith Lord, seeing it had darkened his mood as well. The ring symbolised he was head of the Death Guard, more powerful than most men ever dared to dream of being. It also bound him, the Lord of the Death Guard could have no master, no teacher for he was supposed to be infalable so, despite all his power, he was restricted, he could never learn from another.

He snarled, he felt the wolf within him snarl as well, he tried to rip the ring from his finger but it just wouldn't budge. Grabbing Widowmaker from the folds of his robe he ignited it. He raised it, his anger so strong that he almost loped off his own hand then he felt a calming pressence touch his mind.

No

He recognised the voice at once and lowered the lightsabre. The Cold was speaking to him again, this time it was not demanding its freedom.

Perhaps we can help each other

The cacophony of voices that made up the Cold's voice in his mind went on.

"I'm listening,"

Said DarkStar, though he said it out loud he knew the Cold could hear him.

No master you may have, but we/I am the DarkSide its self, we/I can teach you much of power

"And what do you get in return for this? What is in it for you?"

If we/I teach you, you will have the power to free us/me, that is what we/I want

DarkStar concidered this for a very long moment, in many ways he was signing his soul over to the devil itself but then he realised, he did that a long time ago when he had butchered the village of the slave race back on his home world. He could have saved them, but he had chosen to dance with the devil and now the devil was offering him the prize for his dancing, even though he had strayed from that path somewhat, he was no longer the butcher he once was. Finally DarkStar laughed.

"Very well, you have a deal, your freedom in return for power,"

But DarkStar could not have predicted what the Cold's reply was,

Done, done and thrice done, seal it with the blood of the innocent for to take the power of the devil you must first dance with him,

The laughter that followed was the most horrible sound DarkStar had ever heard, a million voices laughing together to the screams of the damned. The damned, that was what he was now DarkStar realised when you dance with the devil, the devil has his hands on you. The laughter of the Cold echoed through DarkStar's mind until he drifted into a state of half consiousness and he could hear it no longer.