Beyond - Legends Dark Currents 2: Vengeance - AU, OC's, 420 ABY

Devious Praxis. Now he can hunt Marcus again

 

Short update this week. @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha @earlybird-obi-wan @AzureAngel2 @mayo_durron_666

Chapter 3 Part 5: Dark Side Temple - Dromund Kaas 399 ABY

Praxis woke up with extreme pain and recognized that the essence transfer had worked. He looked at his new hand and then at the cauterized stump on the other arm. He tried to rise but the pain in his midsection from the wound caused him to fold over. Standing was almost impossible so Praxis attempted to gather himself within the damaged vessel that he had chosen. Pain shot up his body with only Praxis’ will left to push him forward. Like most dark side practitioners, he was using his anger to drive himself up. Praxis drew on the Force heavily and finally made his way to the academy’s infirmary.

A droid approached him and scanned his body. “Acolyte Rama, you have multiple lacerations and your arm has been severed. Please notify the administration.” The droid explained in the most annoying deadpan tone.

“I realize that. Address the wounds and give me an amputation. Now!” Praxis barked out in frustration.

“Authorization is required.” The droid explained.

Praxis suddenly remembered his authorization code and used it as Acolyte Rama. It was all he could do just to make it to the operating table. He collapsed on the slab as he could finally rest. He breathed a sigh of relief and let the droids do their work.

Praxis was gutted that Marcus had turned on him in the manner that he had. The boy had become a man that had so much promise with his extraordinary connection to the Force and now it was obvious that he had no intention of fulfilling a destiny of greatness. The dark side did not flow in others as it did with Marcus. There were so many beings that Praxis had known that followed the dark path. Other than Darth Krayt, only Marcus had the potential to dominate all who opposed him and learn the greatest secrets that the dark side had to offer.

The Archivist could understand Marcus’ anger towards Darth Erebus and her academy, but the boy’s disdain towards him was completely misplaced in his opinion. Praxis guided that boy along until the end and Erebus’ treachery was a necessary evil. Marcus should have understood that his survival would have meant he was well on his way to mastery over the dark side. That his power had brought him to the peak of his peers here at the academy.

However, now it was clear Marcus had his own machinations and Praxis would not stand for such treachery. One of the oldest tenants of the dark side was to dominate the Force and if Marcus would not, then Praxis would. With this new and much younger body Praxis could harness the Force and use it against Marcus. Reuse his formidable lightsabre skills and get the revenge he now desired against his former apprentice.

Now, Praxis had to revaluate his situation. First he needed to heal and then plan. Marcus’ next move would be against Erebus. If she defeated Marcus, then they would have to start all over again. If Marcus won, then there would be chaos and his next move was to destroy the Jedi. Either situation would benefit Praxis. He would help Erebus or wait for Marcus to wage his war against the Jedi. Knowing Marcus’ power, Praxis wagered that the Jedi would most likely be significantly weakened after dealing with the madness that was about to be unleashed upon them.

 

Ominous speculations and schemes

 

He sure has his wicked plans

 

Oh my.. Praxis sure can pick them!

Marcus, his rage, his power and his predicted future is definitely scary!

I really like how Praxis wasn't expecting Marcus to betray him. Guess not all Siths want Masters and guidance..

Enjoying the growing tension in this! Can't wait to see how it plays out..

 

The plot thickens and so does the tension.

Praxis really rocks it and Marcus is written very intense.

Sorry, for being on-line so seldom, but Berlin summers are hot & do not invite to sit in front of a computer screen. So I am doing a lot of things - like watching open air movies on the grounds of the local library, meeting friends, eating out for dinner and so on.

 

Almost all caught up with putting the characters in the present with the Knighted Amera and Brea. Thanks for reading these parts. I felt they gave Praxis more back ground and they flesh him out as a antagonist.

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha @earlybird-obi-wan @AzureAngel2 @mayo_durron_666

Chapter 3 Part 6: Coruscant - 400 ABY

A year had passed since Marcus Dal Colle had destroyed Parxis’ dark side academy and killed Darth Erebus. In that time Marcus had taken the name Darth Nephros and returned to Coruscant where predictably, mayhem ensued. Two fallen Jedi that had proclaimed themselves Sith, invaded Coruscant with a mass of Blood Rock mercenaries and thousands of battle droids. Even before the invasion they had bombarded the surface of Fondor and taken over the orbital shipyards there. They stole the Empire’s newest super star destroyer the Tiber, and manipulated an imperial admiral and half a dozen other ships to their side.

The two humans were a man simply named Cyrax and a fallen Jedi Blade Master called Lorn Nyeb. A master and an apprentice. Cyrax had managed to turn Nyeb and at the same time he turned a group of Jedi Knights away from the Order. Cyrax was bent on changing the galaxy and showing that Force users were the dominate species. He felt that the Jedi-Imperial Act was an insult and the way the empire was imprisoning practitioners of the dark side was barbaric. It had seemed that Cyrax had been planning his coup for decades and all he needed was a spark.

Darth Nephros had been that spark.

Praxis had watched Marcus Dal Colle become Darth Nephros and then evolve into a force of nature driven by rage and vengeance that boarded on madness. Praxis had mixed emotions on the subject as he was proven correct in that Marcus had indeed become a powerful Sith. However, Praxis felt great shame and anger in that Marcus had completed his training elsewhere and he had betrayed him and Darth Erebus. Their plans had been ruined and everything they built was literally destroyed by the being that Praxis believed would lead them to galactic dominance.

Praxis did not know where Marcus had completed his training as the boy he knew had become a berserker and a master of the dark arts. His physical strength was enhanced and his command of the dark side of the Force was a finely tuned instrument of death. This was plainly evident when Nephros had dominated Cyrax and Lorn Nyeb in a battle and even more impressive he killed Jedi Master Brun Sarro in a duel immediately after on Nar Shaddaa. Sarro was arguably the Jedi’s greatest warrior as he was deadly with a lightsabre and a master of utilizing the Force. Nephros had killed him with a Force lightning technique that Praxis had never seen before.

Darth Nephros had yet another surprise for Praxis. It seemed that his veneration for female Jedi had not changed. Another Jedi, Lorn Nyeb’s former Padawan, Vikka Gratua had somehow fallen for the new Dark Lord of the Sith. Praxis had followed and watched Nephros on his rampage through the galaxy and even when he rested. On Corellia Nephros and Vikka had shared an evening together that ended with her leaving him the next day to defend Coruscant. Nephros on the other hand had remained until he made his appearance in the final battle.

Praxis went to Coruscant when he had lost track of Nephros and waited for his apprentice to make an appearance. When he did finally reveal himself, Nephros had committed one of the greatest atrocities of the war when he leveled the Fobosi Medical Centre’s quarantine camp. Cyrax had unleashed a weaponized biological strain on Coruscant that infected and killed thousands of beings within days. Those that were infected were kept in a camp that only allowed the contagion to fester and spread. Nephros did what was needed and killed hundreds of beings to save the billions living on the planet. It was evident that Nephros had a sense for the greater good. While Nephros was vilified for his action he undoubtedly saved the system from a horrendous fate.

Afterwards in another milestone accomplishment he fought the Jedi Grand Master herself to a stalemate. The Jedi had ambushed and surrounded the Dark Lord until finally he was impaled by the new Jedi Blade Master Darius Baron. As the Jedi closed in to arrest Nephros, Vikka saved him and allowed him to escape the scene. With Nephros badly hurt and off the field, Cyrax and Nyeb made their push and Cyrax defeated a depleted Grand Master Joy and incapacitated her from the battle.

The Jedi were forced into hiding and Nephros was nowhere to be seen. Cyrax killed the emperor publically over a holo-net broadcast and proclaimed himself the new emperor. Praxis observed this from the shadows and he recognized that Cyrax had been augmented somehow. The Force moved around him strangely. It was as if there was a corruption that had changed Cyrax and made him powerful but vulnerable at the same time.

The Archivist was proven correct again when the Jedi made a last stand. This time they were led by Darius Baron and aided by the so called Dark Lord. Nephros returned and killed Cyrax in a brutal battle, Lorn Nyeb was defeated by his former Padawan Vikka, and the Imperial Navy had defeated Cyrax’s armada in the orbit around Coruscant. In the end Nephros and Vikka disappeared and Coruscant went on as the capital system of the galaxy. At the end of this war, it was Praxis that had obtained a powerful item for his revenge.

***

During the battle between Darth Nephros and Cyrax, Praxis had finally understood the source of the Force’s corruption around Cyrax. As the two self-proclaimed Sith Lords fought, Cyrax dropped a huge gem after Nephros struck him with a massive blow. Praxis found the item and recognized it immediately from his days of researching in Darth Wyyyrlok’s libraries. It was called the Exar Stone.

He believed that the stone was one of the amulets that the Sith Lord Exar Kun had used in his attempted conquest of the galaxy during the ancient Great Sith War. There had been two amulets, but rumours within Jedi and Sith artifact collection circles said that only one had been seen over the centuries. Praxis was certain that this gem was authentic and the source of this distortion in the Force.

Time and continued use by dark side users had imbued the stone with power. It amplified the Force with dark side corruption and brought about the baser instincts of the being that wielded it. The taint of the stone was evident in Cyrax but he was being controlled by it. The Archivist felt he could control it, and with it, he could get his revenge on Nephros for destroying his dream of a Sith dynasty, for killing his greatest apprentice in Darth Erebus and most of all, for betraying his loyalty.

 

Super recap and an ominous discovery of the Exar Stone. Time will prove if Praxis can control it or if it will dominate him instead.

 

A stone of DOOM or power for Praxis

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha @earlybird-obi-wan @AzureAngel2 @mayo_durron_666

Hello all. First off, thanks for coming back! Secondly this will be the last catch up chapter. Next we'll be all caught up with Brea and Amera

Chapter 3 Part 7: Nar Shaddaa – 403 ABY

Peace had come to the galaxy once again after the failed coup on Coruscant. Cyrax had been killed by Darth Nephros and Lorn Nyeb had escaped from the Jedi and Imperials. Slowly Coruscant started to rebuild itself along with the rest of the galaxy including the decimated Oridin City and the orbital shipyards on Fondor. Other places like the Smuggler’s Moon, Nar Shaddaa, had remained as it always had. It was and forever would be a place in the galaxy that accommodated the most diverse types of beings. Beit criminals, nomads, mercenaries, or beings just trying to get lost within the galaxy. When Cyrax’s coup failed and the Blood Rock mercenaries were routed, many fled to Nar Shaddaa. Fugitives accused of war crimes also made their way off Coruscant and onto the Smuggler’s Moon. This included Lorn Nyeb.

At one point in his life Lorn Nyeb was a Jedi Battle Master, the Emperor’s Hand, a Lord of the Sith, until he finally became…insignificant. To Praxis however, Lorn was a cog in his plans to bring the Sith back the proper way. Cyrax simply began the revolution for the resurgence of a Sith dynasty. Praxis thought himself to be the one who would be at the endgame. The road to domination ran through the Jedi obviously but there was also Nephros. He was the most powerful being in the galaxy and he was the one Praxis had to defeat to realize his vison. First he needed an apprentice who was properly motivated.

As of now, Lorn Nyeb was a shell of his former self. He had fled Coruscant and cowered here among the rabble and filth of Nar Shaddaa. Praxis had watched Nyeb drink and waste his life away in numerous cantinas and debase himself with creatures of the night. It disgusted Praxis that Nyeb had cut himself off from the Force and given in to such base emotions. To be given such an extraordinary gift and not to use it was a sin. Ironically, it was going to be easier to rebuild him from this point. Nyeb had nothing to hold on to except his pain which Praxis could forge into a usable asset.

On this particular evening Nyeb was leaving a cantina in a drunken stupor. Nyeb stumbled as he walked and had decided that this night would be an exceptional one. He disappeared when he entered into a building and reappeared on the roof. Praxis had been watching and followed Nyeb up onto the roof as he waited and watched in the shadows.

Nyeb walked to the edge of the roof and it looked as if he had decided to end his miserable life. Praxis had other plans. He used the Force and pulled Nyeb back from the precipice.

Nyeb looked around and saw no one on the roof.

“Who’s there? Show yourself!” Nyeb yelled. “Who is there? I know someone is up here.”

“Of course you do. You have finally used your greatest gift. The Force.” Praxis said from the darkness.

“Show yourself dammit. You’ve ruined a perfectly good suicide attempt and worse of all you destroyed my buzz.”

“You’ve fallen so far Lorn Nyeb.”

“Who are you? How do you know who I am?”

“I know everything that has to do with the Force and those that wield it. The galaxy isn’t large enough for Lorn Nyeb to disappear and hide.”

Praxis came out of the shadows and approached Nyeb. He knew Nyeb would need to be convinced and so Praxis let loose his full presence in the Force. He also brought the Exar Stone with him to further authenticate his claim.

“The Exar Stone! Cyrax?”

“No Lorn Nyeb, your master was killed by Darth Nephros. I am the Archivist.”

“Is that supposed to mean something to me? Where did you get the stone?”

“From your master’s dead hand. Cyrax was a fool and had no idea what kind of power he had in his grasp.”

“Who are you, what do you want?” Nyeb snapped.

“You may call me Praxis and what I want is to take back everything the Sith have lost.”

“How do plan on defeating the Jedi?” Nyeb asked with a less than impressed tone. “You need an army and there aren’t many just hanging around to follow yet another delusional fool.”

Praxis became annoyed at Nyeb’s lack of faith. He did not understand the power that the Exar Stone held. It was not simply a source of power to augment the user’s talents, it had abilities that recent Sith had not used in millennia. Not even Exar Kun himself understood the full potential. As the curator and assistant to each of the Darth Wyyyrloks, Praxis was fortunate enough to read tomes and access Sith Holocrons that had been thought lost. Praxis knew what evils the stone could summon from the nether world of the Force and he planned on using it to do just that.

First, Praxis had to put Nyeb in line. He reached out with the Force and discovered Nyeb had a heightened sense of urgency and anxiousness. Praxis was pleased, as it showed Nyeb still had his Force sensitivity on point. Still, an example needed to be made to show that Praxis was someone that Nyeb could follow and believe.

Praxis put his hand up slightly and calmly squeezed together his thumb and middle finger. Nyeb started to cough until he began to choke.

“I am no fool and I am not simply someone who has machinations to rule the galaxy. I want to my revenge just like you do.” Praxis snarled.

“I don’t want anything anymore. I just want to be left in peace. I wanted to die tonight.” Nyeb managed to get out.

“No, there is more you have to do. Together we will find and destroy all of our enemies. Relieve yourself of these suicidal ideations and fight back. Fight back with me.”

Nyeb stopped resisting and hoped that Praxis would simply kill him with the choke. It was not to be as Praxis released him completely. Nyeb asked himself why this man, who had obvious power, show him mercy only to damn him to a dark future? That was not the way of the Sith. Perhaps this man did have something to offer him. Nyeb did not want it though. His life had little meaning and if he did want revenge it would only be against one person. Vikka Gratua.

 

Praxis sure has great plans. What will Nyeb do?

 

Thank you so much for the kind words.

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha @earlybird-obi-wan @AzureAngel2 @mayo_durron_666 @devilinthedetails

Thank you for reading!

Chapter 4, Part 1: Dantooine, 420 ABY

The sunset on Dantooine was a beautiful sight at dusk. For Vikka, the sight of her son Daniel was even more so. As a taskmaster, she watched carefully as the young man of nineteen years executed his Ataru and Soresu combinations perfectly. As a mother, Vikka looked on with pride. Daniel Gratua was turning twenty years-old in a few months and he showed wisdom beyond his years most of the time. However, from time to time he gave into his baser emotions like humans often do. The trouble was that if his baser emotions mirrored those of his father, it could mean disaster. Overall, Daniel was a good man that was caring and protective of his mother with a hint of his father’s darkness.

Vikka had chosen to raise Daniel on Dantooine because the planet did not have many large cities as it was an agricultural world. The few pockets of denser population lived in towns and farming districts that all had their own medical centres, small security forces, and emergency service departments. Three or four districts were serviced by larger space ports that were within reasonable distances to the towns via transport services. The district that Vikka and Daniel lived in was close to the Jedi training facility she and Trip grew up in years before. Master Exas was not the head instructor any longer as the facility was being run by another Jedi training master. He and Vikka had not known each other on Coruscant and she did not introduce herself when she came to Dantooine either. Vikka preferred the anonymity.

Vikka tried to make Daniel’s life as normal as possible. He attended schools as a youth but he did not make friends. He was quiet and introverted around others except for her. Daniel reminded Vikka of his father in that regard. In conversations when Marcus and Vikka were together for that short time and from the research Vikka did on him in the Jedi Archives, she knew how Marcus had grown up alone and without any substantial role models or adult influences to guide him. Marcus had no one and fended for himself for such a long time. It ultimately led to his self-inflicted downward spiral into the Dark Side of the Force. Daniel had a chance at a better life because he had the love of his mother and a stable home. There was less of chance of her son falling to despair like his father. At least that was what Vikka believed.

Vikka had shown Daniel the ways of the Force from a very young age as best as she could. Daniel had not surprisingly taken to his training very quickly. For the first few years Vikka had taught him the basics in lightsabre combat and using the Force with the physical world around him. Levitating objects, reaching out and feeling the life force of the living things around him. Daniel’s potential was limitless in Vikka’s opinion. The Force was so strong with him and that was evident in his early years. His main passion became sabre combat. Daniel’s immediate goal was to master all forms of sabre combat. The young man reasoned that he had his whole life to learn how to move things with the Force, he wanted to be a battle master right away. His father’s shadow of passion loomed large along with Vikka’s need to be the best she could be right away.

Vikka attributed Daniel’s aggressiveness to his parents. She was always looking to prove herself to everyone from Lorn Nyeb, to Trip, and to Marcus. Vikka’s methods were disputable in her youth, but the results were not. She had left the war with a supreme confidence over her Force abilities and her ability to make decisions. Redeeming Darth Nephros to the light and bringing him into the war to face Cyrax turned the tide for the Jedi and the Empire. Marcus helped them win the war and he won Vikka’s heart as well. Their one night together was perfect and she remembered it fondly. Vikka never regretted falling in love with Marcus. The only decision that she did occasionally question was not telling Marcus that he had a son.

Vikka felt that Marcus was not ready to raise a child at the time. He had so many of his own issues to sort through. She also feared that her rejection of him would cause him to fall further into his own darkness. Yet, she wanted to believe that Marcus could heal with some time away from her and from violent conflict. Vikka had set him on a path where he could see that life did not have to be shrouded in darkness and self-destruction. In truth, she had quietly hoped that he would have sought her out and that one day the three of them could have been a family. After almost twenty years though, Marcus was obviously not in that mind set. However, if he knew that he had a son, things might have been different.

Vikka had made the conscious decision to minimize her presence in the Force to protect Daniel and she even taught her boy to hide himself when needed. She had no idea what forces were out there and would want to hurt them or perhaps get to Marcus through them. When Daniel asked her why, Vikka told him it was for their own protection. Daniel had never inquired about the identity of his father until he started associating with other children in play groups and school outings. Vikka had not shared her history fully with her son for some time and told him that she was a Jedi at one time and had left the Order to be his mother. Vikka had told Daniel that his father was also a Jedi in the war but never his true identity.

Vikka explained only selected truths, in that she fought in the war against Cyrax and Daniel’s father died in the aftermath. Not surprisingly, Daniel wanted to watch holo-net footage of the battles during the war. He was fascinated by the Jedi and most of all the Sith Lords because they were so different from what he knew. Vikka revealed little of her relationships with Lorn Nyeb and Marcus. Daniel had drawn his own conclusions and saw Darth Nephros as too extreme. Yet his displays of power were amazing. He had asked Vikka if she had ever met him, to which she explained that she had fought Nephros on Nar Shaddaa as that was in public records. Other than that, Vikka denied everything about the Sith Lord.

 

It is never good to base a relationship, even the one of mother and son, on a lie.

 

Excellent details on Vikka's choices and history. Time will tell if they were the best ones for Daniel, although naturally she is hoping to spare him unnecessary burdens.

 

Daniel is a nice young man. And Vikka is a mother trying to protect her son.

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha @earlybird-obi-wan @AzureAngel2 @mayo_durron_666 @devilinthedetails

Thank you for reading!

Chapter 4, Part 2: Dantooine, 420 ABY

On this particular day, Vikka had woken up early to do her morning exercises and meditations. She loved looking out at sun rises and sunsets as the colours were pleasing and it reminded her of other times in her life. She barely remembered as a child on Mandalore often taking walks with her mother after training sessions. As a Padawan, Vikka remembered full well herself and Trip watching the sun whenever they had the opportunity. Finally, there was that night on Corellia with Marcus. Recently, here on Dantooine when Daniel was younger she would bring him out to see the sun as well. It was a sign of reassurance and warmth for her as well. Daniel would protest before, but as the sun rose he would watch it intently with his mother.

When she returned to their home she found Daniel doing his own combat exercises. He was always training in his pursuit of improvement. Vikka reminded him of their outing together at a local market for supplies. Daniel loved speaking to traders that travelled throughout the galaxy and going through the scavenger’s bins of various tech and merchandise. Daniel had made a friend out of a Rodian dealer who would come to Dantooine every few months or so. Each time they saw each other, the Rodian would beg Daniel to trade him his lightsabre ever since he saw it under Daniel’s robes. Daniel would obviously refuse and the Rodian, named Tikkas, but he would keep trying. Tikkas was an honourable friend in that he had never betrayed Daniel’s secret lightsabre to anyone.

On this day however, he did not ask Daniel to trade his lightsabre, he simply motioned him to see his bins in the back of his stall.

“Welcome back Tikkas.” Daniel opened the conversation. “Where have you been this time?”

“I went back to Coruscant. Works District. Junk dealers there are making a fortune off the remnants of the war.” Tikkas responded in Huttese. Vikka and Daniel learned how to speak Huttese as a side class of their training.

“Again?” Daniel responded sounding disappointed. Tikkas had multiple items from the war. Everything from droid parts to mercenary weapons and gear. “I could build ten droids with what you’ve brought back here. I want something good.”

“I have something amazing my friend. You’ll surely part with your lightsabre now.” The Rodian said in a hushed voice.

“What do you have?” Daniel asked intrigued.

From a bag, Tikkas pulled out an item that was covered in simple black leather rag. Daniel could not wait to see what was inside. When Tikkas removed the rag it revealed a small obsidian pyramid with red inlets.

“When the Jedi Temple was attacked and ransacked by the Sith, scavengers went through the remains when the fighting moved away from the Temple.” Tikkas explained. “Some of the artifacts were reclaimed by the Jedi, but many objects were left outstanding. I think this is important. Do you see the light inside if it? It hasn’t gone out since I stole…I mean, bought it.”

Daniel knew what the artifact was and realized that Tikkas had no idea what he was talking about. The item was a Sith holocron. The Jedi must have had dozens of their own holocrons but only a precious few Sith ones according to him mother. Vikka had told him how Force users would create holocrons to keep their secrets and imbue them with knowledge and information about anything from the builder’s powers to their histories. This one seemed very old and Daniel wanted it.

“How much do want for that pretty red lamp Tikkas?” Daniel said trying to seem uninterested.

“Lamp? What are you talking about Daniel? This is a rare find!”

“It’s a lamp.”

“A lamp?” The Rodian asked disappointedly.

“A lamp.”

“Well, it’s from the Jedi Temple and that’s a fact. Give me one hundred credits.”

“For a lamp?”

“A Jedi lamp!” Tikkas said proudly.

“Fine.” Daniel agreed as he almost felt badly for lying to Tikkas. Almost. Almost because he could not wait to engage the holocron.

Daniel suddenly became very aware that his mother would ask him what he had spent his credits on when he went home. He returned to Tikkas and with a wave of his hand and a nudge from the Force, the Rodian gave Daniel a few droid parts that he would show Vikka. Daniel could not help himself. An item like this was an incredible find and it had the potential to further his training and abilities. It was too good to pass up. However, he wondered what his mother would think. She lectured him numerous times about the temptation of the dark side and a holocron was a powerful item.

 

The "purchase" is shrouded in secrecy and its Sithly origins ... that is worrisome.

 

Daniel what are you doing? Turning Sith?

 

I would not say it´s a lamp. Not something plain and innocent...

 

A lamp was the only thing I can think of. @AzureAngel2

 

Sorry I’m late! Been away for a bit. Back now & trying to catch up on fics I’m following. And this fix is awesome!

Praxis + Nyeb + Exar Stone = Winning Evil Sith Combo!

Hope Nyeb’s revenge on Vikka fails.

Loved getting Vikka’s point of view in recent posts!

And Daniel finding a Sith holocron does not bode well..!

So intrigued to see what’s on the holocron.

I hope Vikka’s lack of honesty with her son does not end up pushing him towards the dark side.

Great writing! Really enjoying this!

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha @earlybird-obi-wan @AzureAngel2 @mayo_durron_666 @devilinthedetails

Thank you for stopping by!

Chapter 4, Part 3: Dantooine, 420 ABY

Daniel looked down at the holocron and noticed how the red hue coming from inside the pyramid had become increasingly brighter when he picked it up. He began to sense an unfamiliar presence coming from the holocron and Daniel realized that if he brought it with him, Vikka would sense the holocron as well. He asked Tikkas to keep it for him until he returned to pick it back up.

When they returned home Vikka began to put away her purchases and Daniel said he wanted to train in the grassy plains around their home. Instead, Daniel raced back to town and picked up the holocron from Tikkas. Daniel took his speeder to his favoured spot to train that he found when he was a child. It was a secluded spot near a stream that was surrounded by trees and bushes. Not even Vikka knew of his spot. Daniel enjoyed the serenity of the place as the Force moved in calm waves and was it gave way to an easier time of focusing on training.

The only sounds he could hear were the leaves on trees bustling in the wind and the running water of the stream. Daniel sat in his usual position for meditation and placed the holocron in front of him. He reached out and looked for the holocron’s presence in the Force. Daniel would usually feel the living creatures and wild life around him. Conversely, he felt something completely different coming from the holocron. Vikka had warned him about the temptations of the dark side and how it would initially feel odd until it felt like a fire that he needed to control and wield. Daniel was feeling an impulse he needed to work out and he felt that he understood what was happening and so he continued to look into the presence. He was not afraid.

Daniel started to wince as the Force started to scream in his ears quickly as it became filled with chaos. He felt the rush of darkness came sooner than he had hoped. When Daniel opened his eyes the screaming turned into a low hum as he tried to maintain his composure and calm. The shape of a human male started to materialize in front of him out of an odd mist. Daniel was excited to see who the holocron belonged to, but Daniel also became concerned. He had never truly interacted with the dark side of the Force. Although his mother explained it to him, it was something else entirely to interact with a dark side presence.

“Who are you?” Daniel said

“I am the gatekeeper of this holocron.” The spectre responded. “You must be deemed worthy to access this device.”

“How is one deemed worthy? Are there tests?”

“I must look into your heart and see if your intentions align with the cause of the Sith.” After what seemed like hours but was in reality a few seconds the spectre said, “Your heart does not believe in us. You are not aligned with the dark side.”

“I was taught to tread between the light and dark.” Daniel explained. “Becoming totally committed to one side or the other is to fail in my opinion. Having an open mind about the Force is what I was led to believe.”

“To achieve great power, you must dedicate yourself to one side alone boy. You have a considerable connection to the Force but I sense you are not worthy.”

The spectre began to fade until Daniel spoke out. “I want to learn more about the Force, both sides. What can you teach me?”

The figure reached out now and it seemed like it was driving itself into Daniel’s chest. Daniel screamed out in pain and he was bombarded with images that he did not understand. Beings and places he could not decipher until he saw his mother and another man he recognized. Darth Nephros.

Daniel clutched his stomach while he yelled out, “why are you showing me these things? Who are these beings and why are you showing me Darth Nephros?” Daniel held back the information about seeing his mother.

The spectre reappeared and the pain running inside of Daniel’s body mercifully stopped. “I have felt your presence before boy.”

Daniel was confused. “How is that possible? I’ve never even interacted with a holocron before, much less any of the beings you’ve shown me.”

The spectre began to clarify and the face could be made out now. Daniel looked at the odd armour the phantasm was wearing as it looked ancient. “You have earned your answers. Not because of your actions young one, but because of your blood.”

 

Daniel is acting dangerous. Great post