Dark Genesis (Complete)

[Nathanial K'cansce]

*All leads led here. All contacts pointed here. This was the planet, the site, where that fabled artifact was. To his knowledge, it was one of a kind. An artifact.. no... the artifact used by a great Sith Lord of ancient times. It was not a Sith talisman, or a Force amplifying trinket. It was a weapon. Much like the weapons that hung from his belt. Those metallic cylindrical items called ligthsabers. This one, though, was not like any other. This one was the one that Count Dooku used.

Supposedly.

Odik II. Home of the now abandoned detention ward used by Emperor Palpatine himself in the early days of the New Order. Before Vader, there was another Sith Lord under the teachings of Palpatine. His name was Count Dooku. History, as it was, had all been erased by the tyrannical genius of Palpatine. He made sure to delete, or at least hide the files of the Pre-Clone Wars era, and for his first few years as the Emperor.

But rumor had it that Count Dooku, at one time before his death, visited this detention ward. Rumor also had it that he had to flee due to a Jedi presence there. As the Old Sith Lord escaped, he dropped his lightsaber. One of the prison guards found it, and hid it someplace in the facility.

Of course, it could have been a death trap, set up by some slimy, good - for - nothing Hutts in order to punish smugglers who could not handle their job.

True or not, the Dark Lord known as Darth Snack wished to see for himself. If he could find this item, if it even existed, it would be yet another trophy of his growing power.

He found himself standing just outside of the large steal caged gates that secured the compound. The facility itself was huge. Many stories tall, and probably dug into the ground just as many stories. It looked like one big grey box, withered with age.

The cool air sent a nice breeze past Snack, causing his black cloak ripple across his body. It was probably colder inside the complex. That did not matter. He was one step closer to the phantom prize.

Reaching within his cloak, Snack unclipped one of his single bladed sabers. He brought it out and powered it up, the teal blade radiating with awesome power. In three clean and fast swipes, and a yank from the Force, a hole in the cage appeared, allowing him to walk through.*


ooc: Introducing a new character...

[Silex Invictus]

Silex moved cautiously through the remains of the old prison complex. His head gear allowing him to see in the dark. It also showed him a floor plan of the building and his relative location. It was nice being rich.

Silex' father bank-rolled his little archeological digs, making sure his only son was kept pleased, at least materially. Silex was however bored, he ached for a challenge, an adventure, something other than a treasure hunt. He wanted to be a warrior, a conqueror, a pirate... anything but the heir appearent to Invictus Financial, Inc. He couldn't imagine being a banker the rest of his life. But it seemed that was what he was destined for, he'd gone to prep school, he'd graduated first in his class at the academy in Finance and Business administaration. He'd also graduated first in History and Political Science, but his father didn't care about that. He had been the Coruscant Association of Academic Academies Fencing champ as well, but his father didn't care about that.

Silex did though. Silex was interested in the history of the empire, the Tales of the Sith and the Jedi. Ever since he was six when his reclusive uncle gave him a charred lightsaber he'd found on one of his adventures, Silex had been immersed in the force. His father was not though. Silex studied it when ever he could, even dabbled in making attempts at using it. He could swear he'd moved a coin before, although no one but him had seen it. But it was because of his interest in the Force, in the Jedi and the Sith that Silex was here.

Two weeks earlier Silex had bought a map from an old man claiming to have been the descendent of a fellow who was a prisoner at the facility He spoke of a treasure, a Sith Lightsaber, used by a fallen Jedi after he had been accepted as the apprentice of the former Emperor Palapatine. Rumor had it that the Sith Lord, Darth Tyrannus (sp?) lost it while interrogating a prisoner there and a Jedi Master arrived, shortly before his own death, and that a guard had found it and hid it on the premises. Silex supposedly had a map of its precise location, supposedly...

As he moved quietly through the compound he felt a breeze as if someone or something had entered somewhere near. Silex activated the life sign scanner on his head gear. Negative, all the same he still drew his blaster and proceeded carefully,. he was getting close now. A few more meters ahead and down a air shaft and he could claim his prize and get out of this force-forsaken hell-hole.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

*Dark, damp, and brooding - the perfect place for a base of operations for the scum of the Galaxy. Of course, Snack was above those common criminals. Those were the privelages of having special powers: being able to move things with your mind and able to create fire in the palm of your hand. It put him above everyone in the galaxy.

Well, those without Force abilities. Those with, he actually respected. And those who could put up a fight, he respected much more. Anyone who could go toe to toe with a Darkside devotee deserves respect.

His contacts told him the prize was located in the lower levels. Obviously, they lied. They got their pay, so it mattered little to them if they told Snack the truth or not. Not like he would go back and slit their throats. He had better things to do.

Upon entering the detention ward, Snack took the first set of stairs up he could find. It had to be in the upper levels. No one would think to look there first.*

[Silex Invictus]

"Je suis tres bete!" The young man grunted as he fell to the ground, the location of the saber was not at the bottom of an air shaft, actually the only thing he found here was bodies, more than likely of other treasure hunters fooled into the same trap.

Silex was smarter though, he was conniving as well and knew that this might be a trap, reaching to his belt, he gripped a grappling gun and attached it to his person. Firing the projectile at the ceiling, he zipped up the line and back to quazi-safety. He then decided to try upstairs, according to his blue-print, the guards' quarters were located on the upper levels of the station and he guessed so was the saber.

As he moved through the service tubes towards his destination, he felt a slight buzz, he thought he was beginning to get a bit light-headed, but instead he started feeling stronger as the tim went on. He moved up the tube with a renewed vigor, soon he'd have his prize.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

*The upper level, in fact, wasn't even close to being the upper most tier. Somehow Snack had been able to find a spiraling staircase at the end of a hall, one that both ascended and descended.

It seemed to never end. Sure, there were foyers every now and then that signified a new floor of the complex, but none of them felt like the right path.

He came to the last rise of stairs, which ended in a solid, rusted over door. Pushing out, he took a step and was met in the face by a brisk cold breeze. It took him a minute before adjusting, but when he did, Snack fully stepped outside.

The landing was a small square, not more than a six by six foot area. It had a wall type structure on three of the four sides, that came up three feet to his waist. The forth wall being much taller, housing the door.

The sight from this high vantage point was astounding. not only could one see many miles towards the horizon, but also over the ocean whose waves crashed to the rocky cliffs below. A strategic stronghold, this prison facility was. It could defend well against land attacks, as well as naval attacks. And back in the day, it was also probably well defended against air attacks as well.

A loud metallic thud brought Snack from his semi day dream. His head turning in every which direction, he finally noticed the door through which he came had slammed shut. Striding over, he tried to pull, but it was ajar and not willing to budge.*

Ah fudge...

[Silex Invictus]

As he left the tube he moved down the hall way he'd opened up into; Where are you? . He thought to himself, both a question about his whereabouts and the sabers. He activated his head gear and scanned the area. He picked up an energy source about 100 meters southwest of his location. It had the characteritics of a saber energy pack.

As he approached the end of the hall way, he noticed a spiraling staircase, checking the altitude of his target, it was approxiamately 75 to 80 meters above him. Rapidly he raced up the steps, the location of the energy source growing closer with each step. Finally he reached the top of the stairs, there a door sat slightly ajar, walking towards it he pushed hard against the door, it groaned but wouldn't quite budge.

"Damnit..."

[Nathanial K'cansce]

*Shaking his head, Snack took a few steps back. As many as he could without falling over the edge wall. Closing his eyes, he began to concentrate on the Force, allowing it to flow through his body and mind, and int the air and surroundings about him.

The Force flowed aroudn and began to run through the jarred door, specifiaclly at the hinges of it. Raising his left hand, the Dark Lord began to contort the Force and the hinges of the doors, bending them and pulling them from their places. The hinges began to break apart under the force applied by Snack, until they both snaped.

The door broke loose, alost falling. Snack caught it with the force before it fell, and then threw it over the side of tower. The metallic thing fell into the ocean below, making a barely audible splashing sound.

The hool that use to be a doorway revealed another person standing there, and for the first time, Snack could sense a Force signature from him. Immediately, a teal colored beam of plasma extented from the cylinder in his right hand.*

Who are you?

[Silex Invictus]

Stumbling forward the young man nearly fell as the door flew off the hinges before him. When the smoke cleared he looked up, there before him was a man, cloaked in dark robes, with an ignited saber in his hand.

"Zut!" he exclaimed as he backpedalled a few steps. His right hand moved down the side of his leg quickly and in the blink of an eye a blaster appeared in his once empty palm. A blaster that was pointed directly at the stranger's head.

"Je m'appelle Silex, et tu?" He spoke to the new-comer in a strange language, the same language he used with anyone whom he did not know. This was the energy pack he'd been tracing.

Of all the things to run into... He thought to himself. Making no sudden moves he began to back away, he wouldn't shoot at the man unless provoked, though if he was a true master of his weapon, Silex's blaster would be useless.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

Darth Snack...

*The Dark Lord glared at the barrel of the blaster, which pointed directly between his eyes. Controlling the Force once more, the blaster ripped itself from the hands of Silex and traveled through the air into the hands of Snack. He caught it in his left hand, and glanced at it, before tossing it over the side of the duracrete wall.

The other talked in a foreign dialect, one that the Dark Lord had never heard before. He answered what he thought was asked, which was 'what is your name?'

The saber in Snack's hand was still powered up, its hum the only noise in the air. And the beam was pointed straight for Silex's chest.*

Why are you here?

[Silex Invictus]

"I'm looking for something..." He answered. The man had proven himself a force user with the swiping of Silex's blaster and by his title Darth he declared himself to be the worst type of force user to run into, a Sith.

As he continued to back away slowly, he noticed something to his right, in the rubble where the door and frame had been. It appeared to be a curved metallic cylinder.

What luck... The saber!

Taking another step backwards he feinted a trip and fell flat on his backside. Rolling to his right he grasped the odd-shaped hilt and found the activation switch with his thumb. He'd cupping the hilt in his hand he rose and activated ths saber. The crimson blade belched forth towards the Sith and Silex nodded.

"It seems I've found what I came for... I must be going now. Keeping the saber pointed at Snack he continued to back away.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

*The saber!? So his sources were right. He'd never had guessed that the guards of old hid the thing within the top most spire, especially inside the wall. Ingenious.

But it had found Silex, and that could not happen.*

You don't leave until that saber is in my hands.

*Snack took a step forward, his saber coming very close to the red blade of the ancient saber. Smirking, the Dark Lord noticed Silex's position. He was very close to the first step. Pulling back, Snack stabbed forward with his own saber. A sloppy move, but in the limited amount of space it would have to do.*

[Silex Invictus]

Silex grinned, he may not have been a match for the Sith in a fight were all things go, infact even in a saber duel, if the Sith decided to use the force he'd more than likely crush the man in a breath. But this was a saber fight and Silex knew how to handle a sword.

"Perhaps or perhaps not." Silex said with a cocky air as he parried away the sloppy thrust of his opponent with ease. He was afterall a fencing Grand-master and champion of the Courascant fencing league.

Raising his left hand behind him in true fencing form he slashed downward from his left to his right in an attemt to strike his opponents chest. It wasn't a broad stroke as most beginners would use but rather a short controlled swipe that allowed his saber to stay in a defensive position in front of him.

The weight of the saber was slightly different from that of a epee, the standard fencing weapon, but it was similar in control. It was much lighter which allowed for quicker more controlled attacks, something he liked, it seemed that the creator of this weapon had indeed been an excellent duelist. As he moved with his attack he positioned himself away from the steps and gave himself more room to maneuver. With a calm tone he spoke;

"En guarde!"

[Nathanial K'cansce]

*The quick slash was easily batted away by the Dark Lord. Silex had taken a few steps forward, causing Snack to take a few steps back. The both were now outside, in the square pen as it were; the square area outside at the top of the stairs. There was barely enough room to have a saber fight here, being only about ten foot by ten foot. It would have to do.

Spinning his saber, Snack advanced with an upwards slash aimed for the other's left hip.*

[Silex Invictus]

Rotating his wrist simply he batted the other saber away and downward. As he did so he moved his body so that his saber shoulder was pointed at the Sith's chest.

"Testing my defenses..." Silex muttered as he began to back pedal seemingly trying to encircle his enemy. With a sudden flick of his wrist the last 8 inches of the saber blade screamed towards the back of his opponents neck.

The attack was simple and minimalistic, his body did not move out of defensive position nor did he leave himself too open to a counter.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

*Ducking, the blade swooshed over Snack's head, missing its intended target. Quick to rise, his own saber found Silex's, the two barely touching one another. Snack positioned himself so that he was facing the other with his front, and then retracted his saber back into a defensive guard.*

You're not giving me all you have. Bad form.

*Neither was Snack, however. The other, he noted, was very capable of wielding a lightsaber. And with some amount of skill. Only Force users demonstrated the skill needed to effectively use a lightsaber.*

[Silex Invictus]

Silex smiled at his opponent casually.

"Nor are you sir, but I fear provoking it from you, you've already removed a blaster from my hand by some strang means, I don't wish to lose my head in a similar fashion."

He thrusted forwards, but did not lunge, lunging would have cost him his center of balance and unlike in fencing, when dueling with sabers and you are struck you lose quite a bit more than a point.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

*Side-stepping the lunge, Snack batted down Silex's saber hard, leaving his entire upper body defenseless. Taking in a short breath, Snack planted his left foot on the floor, and pivoted on the balls of his toes. He spun in a clockwise manor, bringing his right leg off the ground. He rose his leg high, and as he spun, the back heel of his right boot connected hard to the side of Silex's face.

Finishing the move, Snack held his ground.*

It's not as easy as you imply. I cannot just rip your head from your shoulder like I did the blaster from your hands.

[Silex Invictus]

Silex spit blood from his mouth as he pushed himself up, he was not accustomed to a duelist using anything other than his saber in battle and it caught him by suprise.

Quickly he slashed at his opponents side, as Snack moved to block, Silex moved his left foot and stepped inside the forward leg of his opponent. He spun his arm and stabbed downward from point blank range at his opponents midsection, it would be impossible by physical means to block the attack without either being knocked to the ground or ran through.

"I know a few tricks too..." He hissed as the saber screamed down at his enemy.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

*The move was bold, no doubts there. But Snack was equally as bold. As soon as Silex stepped into Snack and thrust down, the Dark Lord immediately dropped down and to his left, tripping himself over Silex's leg.

The fall was sudden and the end result ended in a nice sore back for Snack, but the saber missed its mark. It also left Silex's left leg widely open. A split second after Snack hit the ground, he wrapped both his legs around his opponent's leg, and twisted in a scissors kick motion. The sweep sent Silex down on his front side just a fast and just as hard as Snack went down.

Quick to roll up and out of the way of the ancient saber blade, Snack stood a good few feet away from Silex's side, and looked down at him.*

That wasn't a trick...

[Silex Invictus]

Silex fell forward, deactivating the saber on the way down. He pushed his arms in front of him to buffer the fall and then rolled forwards, popping to his feet he activated the blade once again and pointed it at the Sith Lord.

"Of course not." His saber came at an upward thrust at Snacks adam's apple he stepped forward with the attack as it was parried he stepped back again and slashed at Snacks saber arm.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

*The first in this series of combos was easily blocked. The next was a well, though one had to be skilled. The short couple of seconds that hung there before Silex's attempted attack at Snack's arm allowed the Dark Lord to flip the hilt of his saber in his hand, so that the blade now pointed down and back, instead of up and out. He quickly lifted the blade so that it ran parallel with his right arm, and then raised his elbow up to shoulder height. The attacking saber stopped as it hit Snack's weapon, spraying sparks here and there.

Pushing off forced Silex to take a few steps back, and in that time Snack slashed quickly across his chest.*

[Silex Invictus]

"Son of a bitch!" Silex growled at the man he was fighting. No one, NO ONE had ever cut him before, not in the time he'd spent training for fencing not in all his adventures, no one had ever even gotten close to hurting him. Now this impertinent fool dared to slash his chest?!?! He would pay he would pay dearly.

Silex lunged forwards, suddenly his movements were much quicker faster aggressive. He was no longer just testing the man's defenses, he was trying to overwhelm them, breech them, kill him.

"No one cuts me...." He growled as he continued attacking, never giving his opponent a moment's rest or an inch of maneuvaring room. After each successive attack another attempt was launched. The Sith Lord's blade would have to be perfect to stop this assault.

The saber screamed him, deflected off the opponent's, it came down towards his thigh, blocked again, spun to the opposite side and came at the Sith from the right, it too was stopped, but each counter lost a breath of reaction time. The saber came high and to the right, then downwards, parried away Silex pulled it in close for a thrust at what he percieved an opening, it would be the coup de grace if the blade found it's mark. Snack would have less than a moment to react as the red saber screamed at his abdomen.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

*Death. By all rights, Snack should have died right there, as the crimson blade of Silex found it's mark in Snack's midsection and thrust through, poking out his back. If only Silex had found his mark.

But the Dark Lord had tricks up his sleeves, or rather tricks on his wrist. Jared, one of Snack's apprentices, had crafted two wrist-fitting bracelets for Snack, one for each arm. Contained with in, were the makings of a lightsaber.

In a defensive swipe, Snack brought his teal bladed saber up, blocking the red blade high-right. Both his hands grasped the metallic hilt, making for a stronger defense. But a tinge in the Force told Snack that it was best to keep his left hand free there-after. As soon as the two sabers met, Silex pulled his weapon back, and then lunged in for a jab at Snack's belly. A moment before the lunge, the left hand of Snack left the hilt, and balled into a fist. He quickly swiped down with his left arm, which now had a midnight blue saber blade extending from the wrist.

The new blade connected with the thrusting red one, batting it down and to the side. As he did that, Snack violently slashed horizontally with his right saber in front of him, his mark: the neck of Silex. Out of some strange blue luck, Silex ducked just in time.*

It ends now.

*The midnight blue blade had retracted into the bracelet. Now, Snack opened his left hand, and thrust it forward, palm out. The Force was at his control, ready to do what he beckoned it to do. It contorted and began to flow around Silex and around Snack's outstretched hand. In a shock wave, it pushed hard against Silex's chest, knocking him off his feet and back. He flew in the air the short distance it was to one of the short side walls, where his lower body hit the duracrete/stone mixture, and his upper body flipping backwards due to the contact of the lower body.

Closing his eyes, Snack concentrated on the Force, catching the other man before he totally fell over the edge. Silex hung there, nothing under his body except the ocean and cliffs below.*

You have lost, young one. Don't do anything foolish, or you will lose more than the battle.

[Silex Invictus]

"I yield, please bring me back onto solid ground." Silex replied.

Below him was nothing but atmosphere and death. Slowly he felt the tug of the force pull him back over the railing and to relatively safe haven. It was amazing he could almost feel the ebb and flow of the force in the presence of such a master.

"The weapon is yours, I have lost." He replied humbly. He was angered, the weapon would have been his prized possesion. But he would trade it for his life.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

Ok...

*Snack said, powering down his teal bladed lightsaber and hooking it back onto his belt. He took his prize and glanced it over, then added it to his belt. Tiny beads of sweat were starting to run down his face, and his breath began to shorten as he let go of the Force. The short duel was tiring, but as always Snack had gone through worse.

Silex was quite the swordsman. Probably one of the best that Snack had fought.*

You're good, young one. Real good. I haven't had a spar like that since I've fought my own Master. Tell me...

*He took in a few short breaths.*

...How'd you learn to wield a sword like that? Only Force users have I seen be able to effectively brandish a lightsaber...

[Silex Invictus]

Sweat...

He'd worn the man down a bit, no wonder he used the force to push the advantage. But he was impressed, Silex may yet reclaim his prize.

"My father paid for fencing lessons from many of the Grand Masters of Coruscant. He believes a man should be multi-faceted, both in mind and body. I enjoyed the swordplay so much that I kept it up even after I graduated from the academy."

Silex paused, the man mentioned being able to wield a saber as he had done only if one had an adeptness in the Force.

"I too ascended to the rank of Grand Master, you are the first man to defeat me in sword play, though I must say the strange power you wield no doubt had a play in it. As for the Force, I have no awareness that one could speak of in it's wielding, I simply adjusted to the weight and control of the weapon, it is quite similar to an epee."

He eyed the man, he respected him for defeating him, though the anger at the loss of his rightful prize burned deep in his soul.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

*Snack felt the anger in the boy, oh yes. It welled up inside of the boy, and all because he lost a saber duel. And apparently, it was his first loss ever.*

You could be invincible, you know...

*Snack's eyes took a calm appearance as they laid to rest on Silex. Yes, the kid had a Force signature, and seemed to know how to use it in controlling a saber, whether he knew it or not.*

That is why you were unbeatable at your academy. You could see your opponent's move just before they attacked. Your split-second reaction time which resulted allowed you to grow in skill with the sword...

*His right arm moved up and rubs across his brow, wiping tiny droplets of sweat off his skin.*

With proper instruction on how to wield the power you seem to poses, you could be one of the best in the galaxy.

[Silex Invictus]

Instuction?

"What do you mean, instruction?" Silex responded to the man who had just beaten him.

He then heard the word, invincible. It intriqued him, partially because his surname could be roughly translated into basic to mean that very word. His father had never told him where they got their name from, what planet or colony it was traced back to.

But the most interesting comment made was that Snack detected a force signature on the boy. Silex had always believed that there was such a thing as the force and it had been a childhood fantasy of his to think that he could weild it as powerfully as some of the masters. But he never believed for a second that he actually could command the powers of the force. He furrowed his brow and looked at Snack.

"And who would take the time to train me, the Jedi would never accept me, I'm too old and my family was Imperial sympathizers?"

[Nathanial K'cansce]

The Jedi? Some of them are good swordsmen, and I have been bested by a few in their ranks...

But no.

*Snack held his gaze on the boy as he continued to speak.*

The Jedi could not help you, even if they tried.

*He paused*

...I can help you. I can instruct you.

[Silex Invictus]

What's the catch?

Silex knew from all he had read about the Sith, you never got something for nothing from them. There would be a catch, Silex would owe him something. But depending on the possible payoff and the man's price he might be willing to gamble on it.

"And what do you get out of this?"

Silex would trade many things for the type of power he thought this man might be alluding to, he would soon see if that man wanted something Silex wouldn't give up so easily.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

Only your loyalty and undying service to me.

*Snack answered.*

That's all I ask of you.

[Silex Invictus]

Only your undying service...

Invictus smiled, loyaltty and service were unfamiliar terms for the aspiring Sith who'd been born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

"I shall be loyal and serve you until, you've taught me all you can or I die. That is my offer, take it and you shall find yourself with a new apprentice, with a world of wealth behind him."

Silex looked the Sith lord in the eye and waited.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

Then so be it, my Disciple.

*The wind picked up its speed then and only then; a tinkering from the Force caused by Snack. The Lord walked by Silex and entered the hole where the door once stood.

Both men had come here for one thing. Only one left with the prize, but both also left with something else: a new future.*

I will send you the coordinates to our first meeting point. Don't be late.

*Snack climbed down the stairs, and retraced his steps until he found himself where he first entered, at the ripped apart gate.*