Jedi Council Forums - Odd Discoveries; OCs, Post NJO New Post 9/23

Locked Topic | Read Only Topic | Previous Active Topic | Next Active Topic

Pages: 1 | 2 - ~~Previous~~ | Next | Reload

Author	Topic: Odd Discoveries; OCs, Post NJO New Post 9/23
Jedi_Perigrine Registered: Apr '08	Date Posted: 9/9/08 8:46am Subject: Odd Discoveries; OCs, Post NJO New Post 9/23 - Date Edited: 9/23/08 8:25am (2 edits total) Edited By: Jedi_Perigrine
	Title: Odd Discoveries Author: Jedi_Perigrine Timeframe: Post NJO--it will tie in eventually with The Academy Genre: Action, drama Notes: I plan on updating this once a week. We'll see how it goes. ___________________________________________________________________ The Kushiban known as Krartic still couldn’t believe the Jedi had let him go so easily. Even though he had given decades of service, he knew there was a lot more he could have done for the cause. He was by no means too old to serve, nor would they have felt the need to mandate his retirement yet, especially where they were concerned. When Krartic asked to be retired, he must have caught Skywalker on a good day. Not everybody can be selfless forever--they must have realized that. But guilt still throbbed uneasily in the deepest corner of his mind where he tried to ignore it. Far more importantly for him though, it was wonderful to get away from all the hubbub of “civilization”. All the untamed emotions from multitudes of sentients had finally taken their toll on Krartic’s emotional stability, no matter how hard he had tried to block other beings’ thoughts. It was the eighth week after he snuck off the tiny freighter. The ship had delivered supplies to the largest settlement on this barely-known forest world. His small form had easily let him sneak himself aboard. It didn’t take a whole lot of effort to hide from the crew, either—they were on a tight schedule to deliver supplies and barely had enough time to eat, saying nothing of sleep or search for potential hitchhikers. A little assistance from the Force didn’t hurt anything, either. There were only a handful of settlements on this planet, and the largest one barely contained a hundred sentients. He was well away from that, now, deep into the thick cool rainforest. His half a meter tall, four-legged body easily navigated between the dense foliage. Well-groomed fur kept most of the brambles from penetrating into his flesh. Keen hearing from his long, floppy ears and input from his hypersensitive nose steered him clear of any predators’ territory as he moved cross-country. Occasionally that made his route circuitous, but the added security was worth it. He had plodded almost a thousand klicks since landing. The spot he had found to make his home now was as perfect of a location as he would ever find. A river flowed just before a large clearing, trickling and murmuring as the clean liquid burbled down light rapids. On one side was the rainforest; thick, lush green fern-like bushes with broad leaves coexisted with densely leaved trees trailing exposed rough roots. His new home painted a perfect picture. From the forest he could gather nuts and berries a-plenty. On the other side of the river was a small clearing that let the yellow light of the sun penetrate to the ground. This would be the ideal place for his small, self-sustaining garden. Here, what he could grow from seeds he brought with him would satisfy his every need. And the solitude would be marvelous. Krartic snuggled deeper into the warren he had just finished digging, pulling one of the blankets he had brought for himself up to his chin. Outside of Kushibah, this place would make a fantastic home, he thought peacefully to himself as he drifted off to sleep. __________________________________________________________________________ It wasn’t the wind rushing through the leaves that had woken him up. No, something large was nearby, moving with all the stealth of a half-lame rancor. Wait. Two somethings. Painful, unshielded thoughts buffeted his mind, the very things he was trying to avoid by coming here. The two sentients--humans, of course he spat inside his own mind—seemed to be tossing their feelings at each other willy-nilly. Strong dislike, agitation, suspicion, all flowed rampant around the two as if they were trying to think injuries upon each other. Well, they shouldn’t discover him deep inside his burrow. He reached for his weapon—a tool he was loath to use, but before he could get his hand on it, an invisible hand yanked him upwards. The force holding him aloft was crushing, squeezing his small ribcage in a tight grip. As he the ground ripped apart above him, tearing his body through the thick clay and black loamy soil, he found himself dangling painfully in the air in front of a teen-aged black-clad human with malevolent yellowing eyes. The Kushiban was completely and utterly stupefied. He came all this way to get away from it all, yet somehow someone had found him only hours after building his burrow. He was so surprised, he could barely think. One thin finger poked him sharply in the middle, igniting agony in his apparently broken ribs. Krartic reacted instinctively, biting the end of that digit off and stretching out for the blaster holstered at the boy’s hip, but before he could reach it, his world went completely black. ___________________________________________________________________________ “It bit me!” Yon shouted after he backhanded the creature unconscious and tossed it down. “It tore the end of my kriffin’ finger off!” He reached for a shiny chrome cylinder at his waist. Blood spurted everywhere from his wounded finger as he struggled to get his lightsaber unhitched from his belt. The slightly older human, Natael, couldn’t help but laugh. “I told you not to mess with it.” He had just reached his sixteenth naming day. He was the elder by only a couple of months, enough that the extra bit of training put him in a tenuous position of authority. “Yeah but it bit me!” he cried as if that were more of an explanation. Finally unhitched, the lightsaber came to life with glowing scarlet intensity. An arcing swing would have lopped the creature in two, but the hilt came flying out of Yon’s hands towards Natael at the last second. The two youth fought over the trajectory of the now extinguished weapon, each manipulating the Force as best they could. They were so evenly matched that the lightsaber was just hanging in the air, only inching one way or another despite both of their intense concentration. A casual observer never would have realized they were watching a pitched battle of wills. As Natael fought to hold onto the hilt, he had just enough presence of mind left to find a nearby stone and hurl it at his companion’s head. It struck with mighty impact, shattering Yon’s nose and slamming his head against a nearby tree, dropping the younger human like the rock that fell beside him. Natael wiped the sweat from his brow and breathed an exhausted sigh. The trek way out here had been painful enough without having to listen to Yon yammer on. He seemed to swallow every word the instructors told him without question, without any kind of introspection. Perhaps Natael himself was less ruthless than all the other candidates, but he could be cold and calculating when necessary. This wasn’t one of those times. The Sith were about anger, about using others to do your dirty work for you when possible. Compassion was strongly discouraged. He understood that and used it when it was necessary. But friendship could be a weapon used against the enemy, or it could be another source of power. From what he had gleaned from his intense studies, the greatest leaders who ever existed in the galaxy had powerful friends. They commanded respect through their own charisma, gathering more allies, which earned them yet more power. And power was what the Sith were truly about. At the moment, this furry creature would bring him more sway over Yon. Perhaps it was time for a pet. He grinned, shifting the hilt of his own lightsaber to one side so he could crouch beside the unconscious little beast. Luxurious white fur was liberally sprinkled with dirt and clay, displaying no obvious injuries. But he could sense internal damage. Though it was taught, using the Force to heal others was rarely used. Opening himself to the righteous torrent of the Force, Natael did his best to fix the crushed ribs and bruised flesh. It wasn’t a perfect heal, but the furry creature would recover in time. Maybe it would even understand one day that Natael had healed it. Perhaps its devotion to him would grow. He turned his attention back to Yon. The frustrating brat was bleeding quite profusely from his shattered nose. Yon was going to have to pay for making Natael heal him. And he knew just what that cost would be. With a wicked grin, Natael went to work. __________________________________________________ “He did this to my nose intentionally!” Yon whined, once the headmaster had approached his bedside in the insignificantly small infirmary. The stone walls of some primitive, long-dead race’s castle protected them from the driving rain that was ruthlessly pelting outside. That they could hear it through the layers of mortar spoke volumes of the storm’s intensity. Still, whoever had made this building had done a satisfactory job in keeping things mostly dry. There were only small leaks that dripped water onto the floor. Over the thousands of years the structure had stood, the droplets had carved a path through the rock, leaving occasional finger-thick holes that penetrated the somewhat flat stone floors of the entire castle. The Master turned towards the youth. Underneath the long black cloak’s hood, the immensely tall man’s face was schooled to impassivity, but it didn’t take a Jedi to feel the seething rage underneath the serene façade. “Did you challenge him?” Yon looked confused. “What? No! I just wanted to kill a beast that chewed off part of my finger.” He held up the damaged digit as evidence. “I see,” Headmaster Q’thao intoned. “And why should Natael show such mercy?” His voice was flat, somehow sounding accusatory and instructive at the same time. “He’s weak!” Yon deduced. Menacing eyes wrinkled in amusement. “Perhaps, though I suspect he’s taunting you rather than showing mercy. In any event, I will speak to him.” Headmaster Q’thao noted the twisted bridge of the young man’s nose, understanding that it took a great amount of force to destroy cartilage so thoroughly. Short of a serious surgery, Yon would be scarred for life and likely have difficulties breathing. “There is no coddling here,” the chief instructor told the boy. “You will fix your disfigurements on your own, or you won’t. I, and my apprentices are here to help train you in the ways of the Force, but you must learn that there’s nobody you can count on except yourself. Your safety, your life, depends on you. Now, your punishment—“ “Punishment!?” the youth demanded, baffled. “But I did nothing wrong!” His voice was even, devoid of supportive emotions or anger. “You lost. In a way, you were right about Natael, just not in the way you thought. He showed mercy--he let you live. He even carried you back to the speeder and brought you here. If I were in his shoes, I would have left you behind. I might have just killed you and gotten you out of my way.” He acknowledged the boy’s startled expression with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I will lock you in the infirmary and give you some time to heal yourself, but in a few days, you will be assigned to the kitchens with the droids. If you’ve forgotten the healing rituals, I can make a teacher available to you…” The nasty smile he showed a startling row of jagged teeth. “No, I remember how,” Yon stammered softly. Q’thao shrugged, slightly disappointed. Accepting another healing lesson would have raised his estimation of the youth. Even though the lesson was painful, it was not possible to go through life without suffering; learning to cope would make him a stronger person. Perhaps maturity would solve that particular flaw. “I’m going to have a discussion with Natael. Heal quickly, or you’ll fall behind.” Nobody ever wanted to fall behind. Doing so meant certain death, here. -----signature----- Check out the Talons! They RULE! http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/28126755/p1 I can't believe Darth Writer's Block only abandons me for NaNo. NaNo word count: 52,501
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Jainasolorocks Registered: Nov '06	Date Posted: 9/9/08 10:33am Subject: RE: Odd Discoveries; OCs, Post NJO - Date Edited: 9/9/08 10:33am (1 edits total) Edited By: Jainasolorocks
	interesting. the creature sounds a lot like ikrit, i cant remember what species he was. anyways, what are sith doing on a planet that sounds a lot like Yavin 4? mysterious and intriguing, keep up the good work! yay, first post! -----signature----- Kiss my lightsaber! Preferably the blade. i dont need people to tell me im crazy and weird. i know i am, and i luv it! "Always wanted to know how a lightsaber worked. Can I take yours apart, Uncle Luke?" "How's this for a system malfunction?" Jaina Solo
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Stroja Registered: May '08	Date Posted: 9/9/08 7:15pm Subject: RE: Odd Discoveries; OCs, Post NJO
	Jedi_Perigrine posted: The Kushiban Great choice for a character. Jedi_Perigrine posted: Krartic reacted instinctively, biting the end of that digit off and stretching out for the blaster holstered at the boy’s hip, but before he could reach it, his world went completely black. Vicious little thing. Good for him. Jedi_Perigrine posted: “It bit me!” Yon shouted after he backhanded the creature unconscious and tossed it down. “It tore the end of my kriffin’ finger off!” ... “Yeah but it bit me!” he cried as if that were more of an explanation. Darth Obvious? Yon sounds a bit like a school bully here. Natael, however, seems a bit more dangerous. Great start - you've got me interested. Especially if this ties in to The Academy. -----signature----- Causality - A Far-future saga: http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=28556597 Will engage in repartee for gourmet food.
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Raptor517 Registered: Sep '06	Date Posted: 9/10/08 9:34am Subject: RE: Odd Discoveries; OCs, Post NJO
	Sithly types, roaming around; pickin' on guys that live under ground! Whoa. Where did that come from? I must be in a good mood. Keep me on the list! I'm looking forward to seeing Brosh again. Raptor517 -----signature----- Piercing the Darkness http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/28010631/p1/?1 His Brother's Words http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/26020497/p1/?3 Metamorphosis http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/24997946/p5/?7 Intelligence vs Canon htt
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Jedi_Perigrine Registered: Apr '08	Date Posted: 9/11/08 8:00am Subject: RE: Odd Discoveries; OCs, Post NJO
	Jainasolorocks posted: interesting. the creature sounds a lot like ikrit, i cant remember what species he was. anyways, what are sith doing on a planet that sounds a lot like Yavin 4? mysterious and intriguing, keep up the good work! yay, first post! Congrats on the first post! Thanks very much for reading this. I was surprised to find out after I chose which race I wanted for the hero, that Ikrit was indeed a Kushiban. I mean, I read the NJO books but I never quite drew the connection. I am slow, apparently. Stay tuned next week for more excitement and surprising twists! Stroja posted: Jedi_Perigrine posted: The Kushiban Great choice for a character. Jedi_Perigrine posted: Krartic reacted instinctively, biting the end of that digit off and stretching out for the blaster holstered at the boy’s hip, but before he could reach it, his world went completely black. Vicious little thing. Good for him. _______________________________________________ Jedi_Perigrine posted: “It bit me!” Yon shouted after he backhanded the creature unconscious and tossed it down. “It tore the end of my kriffin’ finger off!” ... “Yeah but it bit me!” he cried as if that were more of an explanation. _________________________________________________ Darth Obvious? Yon sounds a bit like a school bully here. Natael, however, seems a bit more dangerous. Great start - you've got me interested. Especially if this ties in to The Academy. Perhaps. I think Darth Dolt works equally well. The Kushiban race just seemed perfect for what I had in mind for the character, I couldn't pass it up. The fun thing about doing research on things is you learn SO MUCH really USEFUL Star Wars stuff! Thanks for the compliment and for reading! Raptor517 posted: Sithly types, roaming around; pickin' on guys that live under ground! Whoa. Where did that come from? I must be in a good mood. Keep me on the list! I'm looking forward to seeing Brosh again. Raptor517 Heh nice rhyme. Expect to see more of this story next week sometime! Thanks very much for reading. -----signature----- Check out the Talons! They RULE! http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/28126755/p1 I can't believe Darth Writer's Block only abandons me for NaNo. NaNo word count: 52,501
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
snowspeeder_gunner Registered: Apr '07	Date Posted: 9/11/08 11:00am Subject: RE: Odd Discoveries; OCs, Post NJO
	Great job! I hope the little furry thing is okay; he got pretty beaten up! And these Sith are very interesting! I'm looking forward to hearing more about them. Keep up the great work! -----signature----- haha! it's like the stars are my icon!
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Jedi_Perigrine Registered: Apr '08	Date Posted: 9/16/08 8:09am Subject: RE: Odd Discoveries; OCs, Post NJO
	snowspeeder_gunner posted: Great job! I hope the little furry thing is okay; he got pretty beaten up! And these Sith are very interesting! I'm looking forward to hearing more about them. Keep up the great work! Thanks Snowspeeder! Great to see you here. Sorry it took me so long to reply. Darth RL is rearing his ugly head all over the place this week with no signs of stopping anytime soon. Blargh! Thanks for reading! The next update starts...now! ____________________________________________________________ Natael locked the furry white creature into the makeshift cage moments before the summons blared over the castle’s comm system. “Student Natael Gmor, report to Headmaster Q’thao’s office immediately.” To delay would result in a very long and painful death. He enjoyed life too much to subject himself to such a pointless fate. He left his cramped stone room at a run. As his legs propelled him through the dank hallway, he thought back to the final healing job he had done on the critter. Natael felt pride that the beast would wake up with no serious injuries. Likely it would awaken to only the barest twinge of pain. It would probably take some serious lessons before it knew who its master was, but all in all, the creature would hopefully make a loyal follower. If there were more like him in the forest, perhaps he could make his own army, one by one. The thought made him smile, knowing a host of small quadrupeds would never challenge this Sith academy. Natael found himself nearing the only metal automatic door in the whole facility. He schooled his face to impassivity quickly. He knew there was going to be hell to pay; it seemed like there always was when there was a scuffle between students. It was usually more trouble for everyone involved when conflict ended without fatalities, since it was hard for someone to respond to allegations, true or otherwise, when they were dead. With no hesitation, he knocked on the Headmaster’s office door and entered the moment it opened. Q’thao was wearing his red garb—that was always a bad sign. A sign made even worse by the fond manner he was sharpening his curved dagger he referred to as “the blade of education.” “Come in, Natael,” the Master said, closing the door behind the student with a red-gloved hand. Even though he couldn’t hear the mechanism, Natael felt the lock engage and swallowed loudly. He locked his knees to prevent his legs from shaking. He could not, would not give into his fear and beg for mercy, but that didn’t change the fact that he was frightened to the tips of his toes. This was likely to be an exceptionally painful lesson. “We’re going to have a long discussion about…mercy.” ____________________________________________________________________ Krartic awakened many hours after his captor left. The little Kushiban had no idea how long he had been unconscious. The small cage he had been tucked into was surprisingly sturdy considering it was hastily made of thin silvery wire. He could destroy it with the Force of course, since he hadn’t been fitted with a Force-collar, nor was there any sort of guard that he could see. There were a lot of sentients moving about in the hallways, however. All of them seemed to radiate fear or anger or despair. Somewhere down the hall, there was a surprisingly large amount of Force energy being used; to what purpose Krartic could only guess, but it was definitely Dark Side oriented. There was just enough room inside his tiny dungeon to stick his back feet straight out and rock forward on his front hands, stretching all his limbs. He was more than a little surprised to feel no injuries, aside from a mild headache. Anger at being captured was overridden by self-depreciation at spending two months of hard work to get away from it all, only to be stuffed into a tiny cage and brought to a stone structure that radiated painful emotions. Why him? Why here? On the floor was a single blanket and a bunched up old pair of trousers that seemed to be used for a pillow. No mattress, no desk, no comforts of any kind. The cage itself was sitting on the uneven stone floor. Not knowing how long it would be until his captor returned, Krartic didn’t know if he should reach for that datapad. All evidence pointed to him being treated as an animal, maybe an improperly cared for pet of some sort. If they knew he was sentient, surely they would have taken better precautions than this. Much as he loathed playing the part of an insentient, that seemed to be the prudent course of action here. Perhaps that would buy him some time before he plotted his escape. Before even the beginnings of an idea could coalesce inside his mind, the door creaked open and a pair of armor-clad human warriors of some sort dropped a youth onto the ground. His clothes had been sliced to ribbons, along with most of his flesh. Thin rivers of blood ran from dozens of cuts that seemed to be impeccably placed in some sort of tribal-designs, crisscrossing his arms and legs. A sliced gap in his tunic revealed a mess of wounds on his back. Had they used some sort of whip on the boy? Krartic forced himself not to care much. As far as he was concerned, the boy had gotten what he deserved. A cursory inspection of the youth’s fingers revealed that this was not the one he had bitten. He didn’t know if that was a good sign or not. The moment the youth was tossed onto the ground, he struggled feebly to rise. “Look, there’s his new pet!” one of the guards said, pointing at the cage. “That’s not a true pet for a Sith! I’ll just take that from you, save you a lot of effort. I’m sure it’ll taste good, with the right spices.” “No.” Despite his apparent weakness and the blood trailing down his face, the menacing expression and one word was enough to freeze the guard mid-stride before he could come towards Krartic. “Come boy, do you really want to fight over this?” The man booted him roughly in the ribs, causing him to fall forward onto his face. The pair of guards laughed as they kicked him a couple more times. “Still want it?” The youth lifted his head off the rough gray stone floor, coughing, breathing in sputtering gasps. “Yes,” he whispered. “Too bad, I’m taking him anyway.” With one hand about twenty centimeters from Krartic’s cage, the guard’s forward momentum ceased suddenly and reversed. He flew through the air, crashing against the thick wood of the door before flying into his companion. Despite the jumble of limbs, the offending guard was picked up again and hurled backwards, arms splayed as if trying to catch himself on something. Bad idea. As he zipped through the open doorway, the backs of his arms collided with the doorframe. The wet crunches of two thick bones breaking was easily heard despite the man’s screaming. Fortunately or unfortunately, they subsided immediately as he splatted against another wall. Krartic could sense that what little life the guard had left was dribbling out the back of his head as he slid down the wall. He was both impressed by the boy’s concentration and sickened at the same time. Meanwhile the youth had heaved himself into a sitting position. Blood continued to run down his arms, making little puddles around his body. “Mine,” he told the remaining guard who had managed to get back to his feet. “I will fight for this. Don’t make me hurt you too.” The guard backed up very slowly, arms up slightly, hands open to show no weapons. “Bring food.” The coldness of the voice sent a shiver down Krartic’s spine. “I…I’m not-“ the guard continued to back up, face drawn out of fear. “Now!” “Right away sir!” As he fled down the hallway, Krartic suspected one of two things would happen. Either the boy would get his food, or that man would be on the first shuttle off this lump. The door slammed shut. And then the youth began to cry. He turned to the cage. “Are you all right? Did anybody hurt you while I was gone? It would be just my luck that I’d heal you only to have someone else come in and injure you…” He could barely stand on his own two feet. The tears coursing down his face mixed with blood from long deep slices that were about two centimeters apart and a good seven centimeters long, running parallel to his bright blue eyes. Krartic was flabbergasted. How had the Sith not managed to beat all the humanity out of this boy yet? It was impressive that he had the kindness to care about anybody besides himself, especially considering his condition. To make matters worse, the boy had apparently healed him. In his memory there was a vague recollection of broken ribs… Then Krartic was immediately ashamed. He had felt satisfaction when he saw the child’s injuries. It was a knee-jerk reaction, but it wasn’t how he had been trained to react. All people were deserving of kindness, no matter where or why. Fighting through the pain in his heart, pain for the boy and from the guilt of his initial reaction, he smiled. Whether the youth was aware enough of his surroundings to recognize the grin, or understand the facial expression, it was there for him anyway. He cursed his initial decision to play dumb. It still seemed like the right course, but how else was he going to let this boy know that he wasn’t alone? It was then that he decided to play a supportive role. Anonymous, but still supportive. And then he promised that when he got out of this predicament, the boy was coming with him. With his tiny hands, he squeezed his fingers underneath the cage bars and heaved, sliding himself out of bondage. Carefully, as if nervous, he inched his way over to the boy’s side laying a soft fluffy hand on his leg—-the only part of the human that didn’t seem to be julienned. ___________________________________________________________________________________ The boy watched with astonishment as the creature approached. If it ran for it, there was nothing Natael could do. He was too drained, he hurt far too much. As it carefully came towards him, his fur changed from a light gray to a sunny yellow. The furry critter was full of surprises, it seemed. As the soft paw reached his leg, Natael began to feel more focused and a little less pain. Thoughts that had seemed slippery were suddenly more clear. He still hurt but there was something comforting about this little beast that was special. Natael moved very slowly, reaching his hand out for the creature’s head. It didn’t flinch much as the first light stroke pet it behind the long floppy ears. Relaxation set in instantaneously, and the boy fell asleep sitting up. _____________________________________________________ Krartic waited until the youth was deeply asleep before implanting subtle suggestions into his mind. My name is Krartic, I will not hurt you. It is not necessary to cage me, I will not leave you. The urge to feed him more suggestive thoughts was strong, but the Kushiban had to see how the boy reacted to the first series. Krartic felt a little wary of transferring knowledge this way; it didn’t feel entirely right through the Force. Or his training, for that matter. He could do penance later. There would be plenty of time to meditate, locked in this room as the boy went to his “lessons”. Using his lengthy tail to keep physical contact with the boy to discern the depth of his sleep, Krartic called the datapad into his hands. With practiced digits, he began searching the Sith’s database for weaknesses and crafting a complicated hacking program. After all, it was never too early to prepare for escape… Fortunately, the little Kushiban was more than a little familiar with computer systems. Human-sized sentients got to learn piloting skills and practice riding speeders at the Jedi Academy. He had no such luck; instead he threw himself into computer theory and slicing while everybody else was having fun in space. It wasn’t his favorite activity, but he seemed to have an aptitude for it and slicing was coming in handy here. Sure there were security checks and passwords, but it seemed like every programmer left himself a back door into any system they ever made. It was only a matter of time before Krartic found one that he could use himself. The castle was three stories—two above ground and one below. Currently they were in the basement, a long hallway containing a dozen rooms, most of which were occupied. He had almost hacked his way into the personnel files before exhaustion took him. He closed down his search and tried to levitate the datapad back exactly where he had found it. He had read a lot of the Sith propaganda, most of it pointless slander of the Jedi and reliance on emotion for “added strength”. It was all ridiculous to him. The boy jerkily came to, one cheek squished up against the cold floor. Long light brown braided hair had tucked itself underneath his underarm. As he groaned and forced himself back to a sitting position, his hair reached the back of his elbow. Krartic put both his hands on the boy’s leg, near the knee. That drew a smile. “Hello little one.” The boy petted him affectionately. “You need a name, don’t you?” He blinked twice, thinking for a moment. “I think I’ll call you Krartic.” Success! The boy smiled more broadly, apparently happy that his pet seemed pleased. “I’m Natael, though I guess you won’t be using my name much.” He searched around the room for a chrono. “Looks like I better get moving or I’ll be late for my lessons.” Krartic whined a little and licked one of Natael’s wounds. “You’re right, I should clean myself up first.” As the human stripped off his tattered clothing, Krartic got a good look at a series of other scars, crisscrossing his entire body. Worst of all seemed to be his back that might have been used for a rancor claw-sharpening tool. Natael saw him watching and playfully tossed his shirt over him. Krartic growled, trying to paw the blood-encrusted thing off of himself, drawing amused laughter from the human. By the time the quadruped could toss the cover aside, Natael was already in his tiny ‘fresher closet, running a shower. Krartic hopped onto the top of the sink and looked longingly at the flowing water. Through the clear material of his shower curtain, Natael noticed. “You want a bath too? I guess you are pretty dirty.” He rinsed the white suds out of his hair and then reached out for the little quadruped to climb onto his arm. The water was freezing! He flinched away. “Sorry little guy, Sith don’t get hot water.” I guess hot water is why I joined the Jedi, he thought to himself sarcastically while he quickly washed. -----signature----- Check out the Talons! They RULE! http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/28126755/p1 I can't believe Darth Writer's Block only abandons me for NaNo. NaNo word count: 52,501
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
snowspeeder_gunner Registered: Apr '07	Date Posted: 9/16/08 12:55pm Subject: RE: Odd Discoveries; OCs, Post NJO New Post 9/16
	Whoa, this is awesome! I felt so bad for Natael when he had to go to the headmaster's office- poor kid! And I'm looking forward to learning more about Krartic, it seems like he has a pretty interesting past! Keep up the great work!! -----signature----- haha! it's like the stars are my icon!
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Danaan Registered: Apr '08	Date Posted: 9/16/08 1:23pm Subject: RE: Odd Discoveries; OCs, Post NJO New Post 9/16
	I haven't had time to read this yet, but as it ties into A-Wing Academy, could you put me on the PM list, pls so I don't miss out on too much... -----signature----- Star Wars Episode 1: The Old Order - novellized on request (In progress) http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=29250109&brd=10476
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Stroja Registered: May '08	Date Posted: 9/16/08 4:24pm Subject: RE: Odd Discoveries; OCs, Post NJO New Post 9/16
	Jedi_Perigrine posted: How had the Sith not managed to beat all the humanity out of this boy yet? Oh, interesting. There's hope for this one. -----signature----- Causality - A Far-future saga: http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=28556597 Will engage in repartee for gourmet food.
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Danaan Registered: Apr '08	Date Posted: 9/17/08 4:01pm Subject: RE: Odd Discoveries; OCs, Post NJO New Post 9/16
	Stroja posted: Jedi_Perigrine posted: How had the Sith not managed to beat all the humanity out of this boy yet? Oh, interesting. There's hope for this one. Optimistic you are. Natael is clearly cunning, maybe a potential new Darth Sidious. In fact, with his "use your friends to gain power" might be beyond the capacity of his peers, and maybe even his sadistic teacher (not that I'd hold sadism beyond Sith, just that it might obscure the vision of the teacher that is engaged in satisfying his cravings...). So, while there might be hope for Natael, there is also the risk that our friendly neighbourhood Kushiban becomes corrupted. Let's hope that does not happen... -----signature----- Star Wars Episode 1: The Old Order - novellized on request (In progress) http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=29250109&brd=10476
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Stroja Registered: May '08	Date Posted: 9/17/08 4:18pm Subject: RE: Odd Discoveries; OCs, Post NJO New Post 9/16
	Danaan posted: Optimistic you are. That I am Dannan posted: there is also the risk that our friendly neighbourhood Kushiban becomes corrupted. Let's hope that does not happen... Oh come on... a super evil bunny would be awesome. -----signature----- Causality - A Far-future saga: http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=28556597 Will engage in repartee for gourmet food.
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Danaan Registered: Apr '08	Date Posted: 9/17/08 4:35pm Subject: RE: Odd Discoveries; OCs, Post NJO New Post 9/16
	Stroja posted: Danaan posted: Optimistic you are. That I am Dannan posted: there is also the risk that our friendly neighbourhood Kushiban becomes corrupted. Let's hope that does not happen... Oh come on... a super evil bunny would be awesome. Exactly - who'd suspect it! -----signature----- Star Wars Episode 1: The Old Order - novellized on request (In progress) http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=29250109&brd=10476
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Raptor517 Registered: Sep '06	Date Posted: 9/17/08 6:20pm Subject: RE: Odd Discoveries; OCs, Post NJO New Post 9/16
	Maybe he can rescue this kid from the Sith. His emotions are all over the place...that guard should have known better. Raptor517 -----signature----- Piercing the Darkness http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/28010631/p1/?1 His Brother's Words http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/26020497/p1/?3 Metamorphosis http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/24997946/p5/?7 Intelligence vs Canon htt
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Jedi_Perigrine Registered: Apr '08	Date Posted: 9/19/08 4:03pm Subject: RE: Odd Discoveries; OCs, Post NJO New Post 9/16
	snowspeeder_gunner posted: Whoa, this is awesome! I felt so bad for Natael when he had to go to the headmaster's office- poor kid! And I'm looking forward to learning more about Krartic, it seems like he has a pretty interesting past! Keep up the great work!! Wow, thanks very much for the great compliments! I really appreciate them. Glad you like Krartic. He was an interesting thought that just popped into my head one day. The story kind of took over on its own from there. As far as you two, Stroja and Danaan. Uhh. Can't really say too much here otherwise I risk spoiling the surprise. But I really liked having you two debate in my thread, it was an honor! You're my first inter-thread discussion. You make me blush. THANK YOU! Raptor517 posted: Maybe he can rescue this kid from the Sith. His emotions are all over the place...that guard should have known better. Raptor517 He's definitely going to try! The problem with following your passion for strength means that wherever your emotions go, so do you. And look out if you're an idiot security guard in a red uniform. (Sorry, bad Star Trek reference there) I've made good progress on the sequel to this story, so if things continue to go well, next week perhaps I'll post twice a week. We shall see. I still have to work on Brosh's next appearance, too... Thanks for reading everybody! More coming next week! -----signature----- Check out the Talons! They RULE! http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/28126755/p1 I can't believe Darth Writer's Block only abandons me for NaNo. NaNo word count: 52,501
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History
Jedi_Perigrine Registered: Apr '08	Date Posted: 9/23/08 8:24am Subject: RE: Odd Discoveries; OCs, Post NJO New Post 9/16
	Thanks for your patience everyone! Here's the next post. As always, I'm open to comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism! ________________________________ The next few days were boringly consistent. Krartic had sifted through all the data he could worm his way into. Of the personnel files he could find, there were only superficial details of the students, started as of about six months ago: names, ages, species and a list of punishments. Another oddity; all the students were human or very near human. Natael had been tortured more often than any other two students combined. Under his file, he noticed the last entry. “Final Warning.” Krartic wondered what that was. He knew it couldn’t be good. He investigated every file he could get into, including ship manifests, docking codes, castle blueprints. Thanks to ancient construction, Krartic noticed that all the rooms in the basement were connected via an intricate duct system. It only took a moment’s work to locate the smallish access port hidden behind a metal plate near the ceiling. That would give him entrance to every room in the dungeon. On the third day of his captivity, Krartic began the first stage of their escape. Hoping to exploit the inherently suspicious nature of the Sith, the small quadruped traveled the basement, swiping data pads and anything that looked like it might have any sentimental value. Then he relocated those items to two rooms: the rooms of the boys whose files proved them to be the most prone to violent reactions. That had the intended effect of sowing distrust, though the consequences were regrettable. One boy was killed over a pointless trinket. The death was unfortunate, but the end result was in ultimately his favor. That would be one less person to worry about when the time came for him to get the space out of here. Meanwhile, he continued to implant anti-Sith attitudes into Natael’s mind as he slept. He never used anything overt; Krartic simply reinforced the good decisions the boy had made while gently chiding him over his use of anger and hatred to empower himself. Each time he did so, Krartic agonized over the moral gray-ground he was treading. It didn’t make him feel much better that teaching the boy in this manner was an inescapable near-evil. On the fifth day, Natael’s first words once he had locked the door behind him made Krartic’s heart sing. “I don’t know if I want to be a Sith anymore.” The boy’s eyes filled with tears as he relayed the events of the day. Another student had been beaten to the edge of death for refusing to agree with his instructor. “That could have been me!” he sobbed. “I almost said the same thing…” Krartic hugged the boy’s leg, trying to project sympathy and a hopeful aura. As Natael cried himself to sleep with the Kushiban in his arms, the quadruped decided to accelerate his plans. _______________________________________________ On the sixth day, two other students were taken out of the picture as the result of Krartic stealing items and shifting them around. This time he made sure only the two biggest bullies were affected. The fight that ensued was destructive, to say the least. Force powers and lightsabers came into play, wielded by sociopaths who didn’t know when to quit. It wasn’t a safe battle to watch, but the end result left another student dead and the second grievously injured and locked in the medical ward. On the night of the seventh day, all hell broke loose. Natael snored on as Krartic sat on his haunches against the far wall, just beginning his nightly search into the Sith computer databanks. There were new security protocols in place that hadn’t been there the night before. Based on the new prompts that popped up, Krartic was afraid he had already triggered an alarm just by accessing the database. He didn’t have much time to fret about that however, as the door lock snicked open. Krartic sensed one very angry human holding the door handle, pushing quietly. He wasn’t close enough to rouse Natael from his slumber; the even sounds of his breathing continued. The figure that cautiously opened the door moved very slowly, doing his best to make no noise. As the door closed softly behind him, the lights came on and suddenly Natael was hovering, his head slammed hard against the back wall of his room. Choking gasps escaped the human’s mouth as Natael struggled against the pressure on his throat. “Yon!” he squeaked, barely audible as he thrashed. Krartic launched himself at the intruder, sinking his teeth deeply into the flesh of the human arm. Sticky blood spurted out of the wound, filling his small mouth. He spat the warm fluid out and lunged towards the young Sith’s jugular. One of the human’s hands came up, crackling with electric blue lightning. There was nothing else to do, Krartic had to get out of the way. He opened himself fully to the Force and adjusted his course away, bouncing unpredictably as the dangerous flashes of electricity missed though fur and skin still singed with the heat of the near-hit. “What?” the one called Yon said, surprised. “How—“ The question was never finished. The bright red blade of Natael’s lightsaber slashed through the other student’s torso. Yon’s eyes started to lose focus as they met Natael’s. As the last of the life left him and his body collapsed, Natael looked like he was going to be sick. “What were you doing, Yon?” Natael asked, his voice unsteady, his lips still slightly blue from lack of oxygen. “I didn’t want to kill you…” “Aaaaaaah but that’s what makes you such a poor Sith,” said a mildly amused voice as the door opened widely. There was no other warning of the man’s approach, only the voice and a sudden crackle of a very dangerous presence entering the room. Natael’s datapad sailed across the room into Headmaster Q’thao’s outstretched hand. He made a clicking “tut-tut” sound. “What part of ‘final warning’ did you not understand? Now there’s a body of another student on your floor and proof that you are the one who’s been breaking into the database…” Natael was flabbergasted. “I didn’t….Yon…I…wait. Database? I haven’t touched the database, I swear it.” “This pad says otherwise. Now, where’s this pet of yours? I think it’s only fair that you watch it die before you do…” Krartic was trying to blend into the wall, but his white fur stood out from the dark gray stones, making him conspicuous. It was the quadruped who rose into the air this time, helpless as the headmaster turned him about. Q’thao’s detached curious look was suddenly replaced by startlement. “This animal is a Kushiban! They are sentient!” “You’re the only animal here, Sith!” Krartic snapped. With a mighty Force-heave, the Kushiban hurled the tall Sith Lord out the door. The quadruped landed lightly on his feet as the man’s Force grip was broken. Quickly Krartic used the Force to grab hold of the lightsaber hanging from the headmaster’s belt, calling it to him even as the human sped towards the back wall. Krartic ran into the hallway to snag at the weapon as it hovered through the air. Its progress towards him stopped, as did the human’s momentum towards the stone wall. Each Force-wielder fought for control over the hilt with their considerable power. Ever so slowly, the weapon inched its way towards Krartic. Even as they battled for the hilt, the quadruped felt danger flying towards him from behind. He ducked and rolled away, intercepting the Force-thrown hilt of Yon’s lightsaber before it could collide with the back of his head. Unfortunately, in the commotion he lost the battle for the headmaster’s blade. “This scum is mine!” Q’thao announced to the gathering crowd. The remaining half a dozen students edged away, still fingering their weapons. Krartic hefted his temporary lightsaber a little awkwardly and put it through a few test strokes, getting a feel for the tool and its construction. “Natael, stay in your room. I am a Jedi, I will show you the true Force, once I take out the garbage.” “I wield the true Force!” the Sith screeched, charging in with his red blade. “Anger is power. Hatred brings true understanding of the Force’s mysteries!” “We’ll see then, won’t we?” Krartic stood upright on his hind legs, the hilt of Yon’s lightsaber almost too wide for him to grasp, even with both hands. What he wouldn’t give for his own lightsaber right now. This one was too bulky, and the inner workings felt a little flawed. The Sith charged in, heedlessly swinging his weapon in wide arcs. The scarlet beam scored chasms in the stone walls, sending glowing fragments of rock clattering down the hallway. Though the human struck with no obvious technique, there was a strong skill behind each thrust, true ability disguised with each ponderous motion. Krartic blocked each attack away from his small body, carefully guiding the enemy’s weapon out of harm’s way. He almost lost his lightsaber twice due to the exuberance with which Q’thao swung his blade. With nimble back flips, Krartic bounced away, leaping free of the melee for a moment’s respite. Angry blue lightning from the headmaster’s fingers followed him, streaking through the dank hallway, splintering rock and piercing a student who happened to be in the way. She fell heavily with an agonizing cry that echoed hauntingly throughout the academy. Even the surrounding Sith students couldn’t ignore the pain and despair behind the girl’s wail. The quadruped quickly leapt around to the other end of the hallway where there were no bystanders. He pitched his voice loud and clearly. “The Jedi never kill or maim unless they have to in order to defend life. We would certainly never harm students! The Sith way is barbaric.” He flourished his weapon, starting to get used to the hefty cylinder. He was unsure of his victory, but the Force filled him. He was calm. He was at peace, win or lose. As he had not been for a long time, Krartic was now the epitome of what it meant to be a Jedi Master. -----signature----- Check out the Talons! They RULE! http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/28126755/p1 I can't believe Darth Writer's Block only abandons me for NaNo. NaNo word count: 52,501
	Locked Topic \| Active Topic Notification \| Private Message \| Post History

Pages: 1 | 2 - ~~Previous~~ | Next | Reload