Chapter 3 – The Cavernous Pit Terrek woke up in confusion. He didn’t know how long he’d been in the pit; the darkness obscuring his perception of time. Sounds echoed through the cavern, disorienting him as he whipped round to face the ever shifting sources. His legs gave way, the sheer panic of his situation seeping deep in to the very core of his being. As he sat there he realised that he no longer knew in which direction the door was. He was breathing heavily and the fear forced upon his mind the idea that he could not stay where he was. In a slow, panicked flight he stumbled forth, through the dark. His arms waved out in front of him, searching for a wall, as he peered through the void ahead. Finally Terrek felt his hand hit the cold hard stone of a wall, giving him the slightest bit of relief. He started to follow the wall, his hands running along it. “Ah!” he screamed. His hands burned and ached as a slight wet sensation began to run across them. The cavern was so dark he could barely see them. But he didn’t need to; his body already told him he was bleeding. The cave’s wall was covered in jagged bits and sharpened stone edges pocked out randomly. The young boy’s eyes teared as the pain of the cuts swelled over the palms of his hands. Desperately he tried to calm himself. His mind clung to the memories of countless mornings spent meditating with his fellow padawans at the Jedi Temple. The words of master librarian Barrezz repeated in his head. “breathe calmly…soothe your mind.” It took some time, but slowly Terrek’s frantic breathing subsided. His panic lessened, though it was not to last. As the sound of his own breathing calmed, he could hear the others. All around him Terrek could hear frantic panting, he was not alone. The ominous noise echoed; enveloping Terrek’s senses, as figures crept out of the surrounding darkness. Shots of forceful pain knocked him around as he was assaulted in the dark. Frenzied screams and pained cries escalated as the bashing progressed. Finally, a blow to his jaw knocked him in to the cave wall and Terrek collapsed. Chapter 4 – Memories of a Fateful Day – coming soon in a subsequent post

Star Wars The Old Republic: The Tales of Twisted Fate The Origins of Hate, Episode I - A Dark Star Rises (BTC 16) Prologue – Thrown In to Darkness Darkness filled the cavernous pit. The sound of droplets falling in to puddles of still water echoed throughout the space, accompanied by the slight trickle of tiny streams that flowed down the cracks of the cold stone walls. Suddenly a loud screech broke the eerie silence, followed by a rusty mechanical croon, as the ancient doorway, slowly, began to creep open. Light burst in from the corridor beyond, only to be swallowed by the vastness of the cave. A young boy stood silhouetted in the doorway, his shadow stretching out in to the seemingly endless darkness. Terrek stood and peered in to the darkness, but saw very little. The light that pierced the room from the corridor behind him grew ever fainter. It seemed to be swallowed up by the cavern, like a caged beast on the brink of starvation. Terrek felt a startling fear build inside of him and he turned to his master, only to be startled even further. Standing inches before him was his master, whose shadow engulfed Terrek’s own as it stretched out in to the pit. The fear gripped hold of his mind and before he knew it he was falling back, down, in to the darkness. His back slammed against the cold, moist, stone of the pit floor and he cried out in pain. Through tears he starred up at his master, veiled in shadow by the lights behind him. Terrek reached up with his hand as the door began to close. The same screeching and crooning, with which they had opened, echoed more ominously as the doors, slowly, crept in on each other. Though he could barely see, Terrek thought he noticed a wicked grin grow on Valentin’s face, as the last of the rays of light were locked out of the room with a loud clunk of colliding metal. Chapter 1 – Memories of a Blissful Day Terrek stared across the classroom in utter boredom. Usually Galactic History was one of the classes he could actually pay attention to. But, ever since they’d started looking at the history of Ithorian cultivation across the galaxy, the class had lost some of its flare. They had recently finished with a brief overview of the history between Wookies and Trandoshans and Terrek was positive that the teacher’s avid descriptions of the Kashyyyk forests during those past lectures had been to prepare them for the dullness that they now experienced. The young Wookie, Wrrlmum, sitting next to Terrek was busy carving a pattern in to the top of his wooden desk. Completely fixated on elaborating his design, Wrrlmum was obviously just as disappointed and bored as Terrek. Across the room he could see a Zabrak girl twirling her red hair around one of the short horns protruding from her skull as the class dragged on. The only thing I’ll remember about this is Telos. Terrek thought to himself as their teacher mentioned the planet yet again before the sound rang out signalling the end to the torturous lesson. The children rushed out of the class in their usual frenzied delight at supposed freedom. “Wait for master Vale! Kids!” the teacher called out after them sternly. “It’s alright, I’m here.” Master Vale’s voice called out cheerfully from around the corner of the hall, moments before she herself appeared, a smile filling her face. “Follow me now young ones. We’ll get you to the gardens for your botany class.” She added as the children fell in line behind her and followed. As soon as they arrived, the young students rushed over to their own little plots. “Okay, remember we nurture nature, so be gentle and patient with your plants.” Master Vale yelled out after the dispersing group of youths. “Only pull it out if you know it’s a weed.” She added before the little red headed Zabrak girl nearly knocked her off balance rushing to her plot. Some of the plants were common to all of their plots, like t’iil and malla, but the rest master Vale had let them pick themselves. The Zabrak girl had covered her plot with medicinal herbs from her home world; ongmuel, redweed, lesset and greybush. With exception to the lesset they were growing nicely, which had its chances diminished by her need to grow a bush with Hwotha berries right next to it. On closer inspection she could see that her redweed leaves had holes in them, which meant she had bugs on her plant, the very idea made her shiver and squeak. Across from her an Ithorian boy, who had been especially attentive in the recently ended galactic history class, tended to his own little garden which outshone all of his classmates by an astounding degree. blueleaf shrubs swayed between rows of donar flowers and Ithorian roses. In the back the corners were covered in protruding masses of starfruit and tremmin. This was his favourite place in the temple, his own little garden plot, it reminded him of home. Next to the Ithorian’s plot was Wrrrlmum’s, who also had a keen green thumb, though his garden was more a display of his abundant appetite, with lots of chyntuck, rillrrnnn and wasaka. The only thing he was growing that wasn’t food, unlike his botanical neighbour, was some kthysh vines which, so far, had consistently failed to do well. Wrrrlmum let out a small howl as he confirmed his plant still refused to grow. “What do I always say? Follow the root.” Master Vale said as she knelt down to the young Wookie’s level and began to guide him through the stages that seemed to remain the same, regardless of the plant. Terrek’s plot was a reasonable mediocre, or so he thought. His t’iil and malla had grown well but the plants he’d chosen himself seemed to be less than he expected. The bowvines were refusing to ripen and the few that had were badly bruised. On top of that his zeltron pop-pepper plants were only producing small, roundish, peppers to his disappointment. He had gotten his hopes up, with the plants having grown so large, that the peppers also would be huge. If he had spent any time on his home planet he might have known that they were supposed to be that small. “You need to pick some of those peppers Terrek there redder than you.” Master Vale joked as she came by the little vermillion boy on her round through the students. “But they’re still so small.” Terrek protested and master Vale kneeled down to the boy’s level. With a big smile on her face she said “They’re supposed to be, look.” She plucked one of the little peppers and popped it in her mouth. Her cheeks flushed, the smile faded and her mouth opened as she desperately sucked cool air over her tongue. Finally she gathered the courage to swallow, which happened loudly, and was swiftly followed by calls for water as Master Vale ran to relieve her burning mouth with tears running down her face. When master Vale returned, Terrek felt a familiar presence and suddenly perked up. “Master Strago’s back.” He said joyfully. “Patience Terrek, I’ll bring you up to see him after class. I’m sure he’s here for a reason too.” She retorted, attempting to settle the boy’s anxiousness at the return of his real master. Lately it had become more common for masters too be away from their padawans, many of them venturing to places unfit or unsafe for the young ones. Meanwhile, not too far above them, a shuttle carrying Valentin Strago docked at the Jedi Temple. “This will not be long, you will wait for me here.” said Valentin sternly, emphasizing various words along the way. He did not wait for a reply, merely turned and descended the ramp walking briskly along the docking bays and in to the heart of the temple. One burning question was etched in his mind. What are they summoning me for now? Chapter 2 – The Power of Information The scampered clatter of three metallic feet echoed through the stone halls of the ancient temple as Dr. Raxle Zythor hastily made his way back to the lab complex. As he entered, and the droid legs met with the metal plating of the annexed lab complex, he was again subtly reminded of his condition and the full scale of the vengeance he would soon achieve. Anxiously he made his way past unlit examination chambers and toward the genetics laboratory. His mechanical tail appendage, curled over his head like a scorpion’s, swayed slightly as the short tripodic droid legs carried the doctor through the vast complex. The door to the genetics lab snapped open as he approached. “Initiate sweep.” He whispered. The tail swept back and forth from its vantage above the doctor. Before long the scan of the lab was complete. “No micro frequencies detected. One Conscious life-form found, identified Doctor Raxle Zythor.” The Adv. Mobility Droid reported plainly in its mechanical voice. “Excellent A’em’dee Eight (AMD 8). Run sample analysis and match through the imperial genetics database.” He commanded the droid while revealing a vial, containing a particularly curly hair sample, from his lab coat. The tail appendage, AMD 8’s head, manoeuvred over and took the presented object from the doctor, while its legs moved them over to the primary lab interface and plugged itself in. Raxle brooded impatiently during the analysis, the sweet taste of long awaited vengeance stirred in his mind. For the first time, replaying the cursed events that had maimed his body, he did not swell with anger. Soon he would know the identity of the miserable fly that had cut him in half so many years ago, and with that knowledge, a meant to balance the debt. With the memory playing over and over in his mind he could wait no longer. “A’em’dee Eight, open a secure channel with the duke.” He snapped impatiently. AMD 8 responded swiftly, hastily carrying Raxle to the holoterminal. An extension cable ran back to the lab’s main interface, keeping AMD 8 plugged in and working on the genetic sample. A wry grin grew across Raxle’s face as he awaited an answer to his call. Eventually the call was answered, to Raxle’s disappointment, by the duke’s wife. “Lady Jade, what a pleasant surprise.” He lied. “Doctor Zythor.” She acknowledged, though a disgusted look crossed her face. “Xim is currently indisposed; can I give him a message?” She added in contempt. “We shall see if you can… soon.” Raxle said warily. His gaze flicked back and forth between the projection on the holoterminal and the display of data streaming on his datapad. Ever since his lord’s secret order had been discovered, Raxle had suspected the duchess to be the mysterious ‘Eye of the emperor’ that held watch over their meetings. The majority of the evidence had already ruled the duchess out as a suspect. However, the Doctor’s cautious nature would not allow him to divulge anything until the droid had finished his analysis of the sample, or so he rationalized it. More likely, the doctor’s long standing prejudice against her would not allow for him to pass up an opportunity to mock her. When the duke’s father had still been alive the union of the house of Jade with anything but the purest of sith’ari blood lines would have been considered unforgivable. Now nothing but a weak human sat next to the steward of the true emperor. “Genetic comparison complete. Approximate match found.” AMD 8’s mechanical voice rang out across the lab and immediately Raxle examined the results on his datapad. “Approximate is not what I want to hear.” Raxle snapped back at the droid before turning to address the duchess. “One moment please Lady Jade.” He added as he flipped a switch on the holoterminal, disrupting his end of the communication. “Do I need to send you for a memory wipe.” Raxle threatened AMD 8 “Please doctor, do not. The subject…” the droid pleaded but was cut short by the doctor. “The subject is thirteen, somehow I doubt she’s the woman that cut me in half twenty years ago!” Raxle furiously interrupted in a fit of rage. “The subject’s genetic markers highly suggests that she is a direct relative of specimen IOU7983 – A.” AMD 8 continued and the rationale cooled the doctor’s temper. “Compile any record on the subject, search for relatives; guardians; emergency contacts; benefactors.” The doctor frantically listed possible avenues of further search. “Unfortunately Doctor Zythor, I have, and found no documentation of any living relative. Even the subject’s birth record seems to indicate that the girl spontaneously appeared in Dromund Kaas General Hospital.” The droid interjected before his master continued to ramble. Raxle’s fist thudded loudly as it violently collided with the desk under it. “However, I have discovered the following still image.” The droid started to explain as it sent an order to display the image in question. Doctor Zythor remained unimpressed, seeing nothing but a badly framed shot of a curly blonde haired girl sitting in her room. “Notice the framed picture next to her bed.” AMD 8 continued, enhancing the section of the image in question. It showed a woman holding a, somewhat younger, version of the blonde girl. “Using facial recognition patterns I have been able to deduce that specimen IOU7983 – A is a sample of human hair that most likely derived from Jan Roseland.” AMD 8 concluded. The cynical smirk on Raxle’s face returned as he removed the disruption on the call to the duchess. “You can call back when you’ve resolved your petty little problems doctor.” She sneered and began to turn off the link. “Wait, please… tell my liege… The eye is open.” As Doctor Zythor spoke those words, moments before she ended the call, lady Jade’s eyes widened in astonishment. "Perhaps I should have your memory wiped A'em'dee Eight. You're becoming far too clever." Chuckled Doctor Zythor. The pleasing satisfaction of nearing vengeance had returned. Episode I: A Dark Star Rises will continue in a subsequent post In case you've missed it, this story is preceded by... The Legend of Terrek Corso, Ep I - A New Destiny

Hey, I have never managed to actually RP before. Have been wanting to give it a try for a while now and also tried to start one myself but never got it far off the ground. What stopped me is that I don't fully understand how it works (or maybe I do and I've been over thinking it). In any case I've been looking for a thread like this, to meet some community people that wouldn't mind 'breaking in' a new RP'er. Best way to learn is to do. Have many characters well rounded from my fanfic and I think Rp'ing with them might help me develop their individuality more.

Thank you for making my point more clearly. I think everyone who thinks this thread's point is a good idea should have a good hard look at the credits, hopefully it will help you gain a little perspective on how much your asking.

Hey, have been following this for a while now but just recently caught up. Have been wanting to comment almost every time I read, but figured I should catch up and write it all up in one big comment. Of course, as all writers know, if you don't write it down you'll forget (as I have). In any case I wanted to say I've been enjoying the story. Lokin is an awesome companion in game and you've given him an awesome story here. Also, have liked that you've managed to keep, what is essentially 'downtime' for Lokin, interesting and compelling Initially was hooked in by the title and gave me an idea I'm working out atm (though I should really try to finish my current works first) Christopher Marlowe secret service conspiracy theory rewritten to an Imperial Agent's story... prepare for "Massacre in Taris". Sorry digressing, Lokin rocks, love how Cerean knows him too well for his usual antics and makes him just blurt out "Subject change time." looking forward to the next post

Okay so if I understood this right it's concerning new stories for the classes to play through or optional stories. Honostly as far as I can tell what's being described is exactly what they did and people are sick of it because they've done the same story over and over... but I think that after a month or two of the new stories being out the same would be true of them. I love story more than anything else in games myself but I think that would be a terri8ble move on their part. There is more story to find in swtor than almost any other and if you then feel like some more there is always the fan fiction section here on the sight which has some really good works on it. What has bothered me more about swtor since I was sitting around waiting impatiently for beta access is the low number of planets and species available to players. planents take a lot I'll give them that and since 2.0 it is evident (if not before) that more are coming. But the species situation is almost unnaceptaable. Especially since one of the hardest to work around gear was implimented (twi'lek) from the start. Started to make a list but there are just so many that could have been easily done (probably easier than dealing with Lekku and plenty which are nothing more than a different pigment set from humans. Adding the Cathar before these is a huge insult I think. (especially since the Cathat are a huge rip-off)

Really can you not read the first line... they are all qoutes adapted from film... Because we have an english accent was from "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" "Because unlike other Robin hoods, I can speak with an english accent." -edit: removed rant about sharpe and game of thrones because, on second thought couldn't think of another series of that type that would be better. Sharpe and Game of Thrones are awesome. (or in other words Sean Bean is awesome) Also the idea that only somebody from England can produce a genuine accent is offensive. I do a lot of voice work myself and British English including variuos dialects are some of the easiest ones. P.S. Alec Guiness also thought Star Wars was one of the stupidest things he'd ever heard of, and is the reason why Obi-wan dies in Ep. IV

All inspired by films/tv - Powerlevels over 9000!!! - A British accent - your daughter - Ways of making you talk - a problem - the technology - the bigger gun - sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads - all the time in the world that's me spent for now... might be back. Great idea!

No that doesn't fit... sticking with the burger analogy he bought the game (Big Mac) they got him to subscribe (sold him a customer discount card) then announce 2.0 (Higher % discount card becomes available) Then gut the original product (Suddenly original discount card doesn't work on Big Mac or anything else worth while) When the customer asks "Well what about me I've been a faithfull customer since you were nothing but a milkshake stand. Every week I come and buy your product, and I've always kept my discount card renewed. Why can't I get the big mac with the standard discount card anymore?" the answer from the company... "oh yeah the big mac is being discontinued completely and the discount card you have is still good for ketchup... ... ... Would you like to upgrade!" Personally I think the customer has every right to slap that self serving, arrogant, representative across his face. To be honost I think this guy has been rather fair... in my opinion EA and Bioware should face criminal fraud charges for their introduction of 2.0 but without a community feeling the same it would be pointless to pursue.

Hey, it’s been way too long since I was here last. But since I’ve finally gotten around to writing again I realized (remembered) about the purge after beta. So I’ve put up the revised versions of my previous works and new ones are coming soon. Anyway figured it was time I posted back up here. Thank you for keeping this thread. Classes lisred in decreasing order of importance. (Most relevant 1st) Series title: The Tales of Twisted Fate Series sub-title:The Legend of Terrek Corso: ep. title: Ep. I – A New Destiny link: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=628052 author: TerrekCorso classes: Jedi Consular, Jedi Knight ep. title: Ep. II – In Darkness Raised link: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=628126 author: TerrekCorso classes: Jedi Consular, Sith Warrior, Bounty Hunter, Jedi Knight ep. title: Ep.III – Mandalorian Menace link: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=6180223#post6180223 author: TerrekCorso classes: Jedi Consular, Jedi Knight, Sith Warrior, Bounty Hunter, Imperial Agent, Smuggler ep. title: Ep. IV – Temple Fall link: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=628581 author: TerrekCorso classes: All series sub-title: The Adventures of Kyle Laurent: ep. title: Ep. I – The Hunted Jedi link:http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=628908 author: TerrekCorso classes: Jedi Knight, Smuggler, Sith Warrior, Sith Sorceress, Republic Trooper,

The Adventures of Kyle Laurent will continue in... Ep II - Ilumination Currently writing... The Origins of Hate Ep I A Dark Star Rises More links to The Tales of Twisted Fate series can be found in the Chronology below... Feel free to post comments * = current project The Tales of Twisted Fate Chronology The Chronicle of Crystals Ep I-III (To Be Named) BTC 28-24 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep I A New Destiny BTC 24 The Origins of Hate Ep I A Dark Star Rises * BTC 16 The Rising of the Fox Ep I The Lone Wolf & The Sly Fox BTC 14 The Origins of Hate Ep II Raene Fall BTC 12 The Rising of the Fox Ep II The Shaddiest Corner of The Galaxy BTC 12 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep II In Darkness Raised BTC 12 The Rising of the Fox Ep III Safe Haven BTC 10 The Origins of Hate Ep III Lifting The Vale BTC 9 The Origins of Hate Ep IV Seeds of Vengeance BTC 8 The Rising of the Fox Ep IV Joining the Fight BTC 7 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep III Mandalorian Menace BTC 7 The Origins of Hate Ep V The Jaded Witch BTC 4 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep IV Temple Fall BTC 0 TREATY OF CORUSCANT The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep I The Hunted Jedi ATC 0 The Origins of Hate Ep VI Shadows of the Corruptor ATC 2 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep II Ilumination ATC 3 The Rising of the Fox Ep V The Cunning Fox ATC 3 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep III Night's Valor ATC 6 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep V The Fabled Daughter ATC 7 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep IV Defenders of The Republic ATC 10 Star Wars: The Old Republic The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep V (To Be Named) ATC 20 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep Vi The Great Deceiver ATC 20 The Rising of the Fox Ep Vi: The Fall of the Risen ATC 20 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep VI: Twisted Fate ATC 20 The Chronicle of Crystals Ep IV-Vi (To Be Named) BTC 28-24

Chapter's 1-4 can be found in the previous post Chapter 5 – Hauntings of the Past Deep inside the remains of an ancient Sith temple a team of imperial researchers and scientists crowd around a carbonite casing, baring the semblance of a young girl, as the reanimation process begins. “Is she alive?” a commanding feminine voice asked from the back of the laboratory. “Yes lady Jade, her vitals are stable, she has survived.” replied one of the scientist in a strained and raspy voice, who continued to meticulously examine the girl’s state. Noting the effects of the hibernation sickness from the near decade the specimen had spent in that death like state. “Good.” replied Lady Jade, her tone much softer than before. The sound of her heeled boots echoed as she approached the slab of carbonite and the crowd parted before her. The poor girl who’d begun to wake could barely sense what was going on at all, her thoughts and memory slowly returning. “My all” She whispered, her throat was hoarse and dry. Then she felt the weight of long, dark, hair as Lady Jade lent in over the girl. “Welcome back to the living. I mean to give you what you want. You can be with him forever, all I ask is that you find him for me.” Jade whispered in the ear of the barely conscious girl. Hazily, Raene awoke from her nostalgic nightmare, laying face down on the cold, steel, floor of a small starship. In the months since she’d been released from carbonite she’d remembered only vague, irrelevant, things from her past. All that mattered was finding her old love. Unlike her superior, it was more than a task for Raene, it was a need. She could feel his presence calling out to her in the force, always. Or was it her calling to him, all she knew was she needed to feel his presence again, like a warm blanket on a cold night it comforts all and without it she shivers in the brisk wind. The air was warmer than it had been before and the roar of the engines had ceased. They had landed and the presence of her new caretaker, Lady Jade, was nowhere to be found. Though still weak and disoriented from the cocktail of drugs they had been pumping in to her to keep her calm and compliant, combined with the remaining symptoms of her hibernation sickness, she brought herself to her feet. Suddenly a chain snapped tight and Raene became painfully aware of the collar that gripped her neck. In an instant both her knees collapsed back to the ship floor. There she silently brooded for a moment. She did not know Jade’s intentions, but she guessed that she meant to kill her love. It did not matter, if playing slave to this woman was the only way to search for him, then she’d do it. But she didn’t have to do it obediently. In an outburst of anger Raene latched on to the chain which bound her and with the assistance of the force, ripped it violently from its foundation. The free end lashed around the room clanging noisily against the ships chamber. Raene could feel the faint presence of her love outside on the surface. She wondered how far away he was, if the presence was weak because lady Jade had already killed him. She could no longer control herself, she had to see him. Giving in to her desires she raced out of the dark ship in search of him. Meanwhile, in a docking bay at Anchorhead, The Rising Fox sits dormant. The last of the mechanics have already left the ship after an intense repair and overhaul. Shinning in the light of the Tatooine suns, the ship is peaceful and calm. Until a young boy with dirty blonde hair and a dirt covered face comes scurrying out of the ships structure. His name is Derin Sado and his father has been telling him stories about this ship since before he was born. Who knew how much of it was true, probably none, but the stories where there and he couldn’t help but have a look at it. Especially since it looked like a hunk of junk. Derin was determined that it had to be a hoax of some sort and so set about hacking in to the ship and investigating the components. What he found was most surprising to him, nothing, he found nothing of even average quality. And this was directly after a repair and overhaul. Derin could swear he’d seen actual shipwrecks that had better parts than the tin can he’d grown to love all his childhood. “That hunk of junk is the Fox you’re always on about?” the voice of a young, blue, twi’lek boy blurted out from behind Derin. He’d forgotten he’d told his friend Iago Surrel about the ship, and now felt completely embarrassed for making such a big deal out of such a worthless ship. “No way a Jedi landed in that? We see better ones land every day Derin. You can’t seriously tell me that’s your legendary Rising Fox. Can it even lift off?” Iago mocked. “It’s just old now, I guess. Last time it was here was before I was born.” Derin plead, still embarrassed and trying to find an excuse. “Derin this model was old 10 years ago.” Iago replied monotonously. “A classic!” Derin yelled, turning to his little blue friend, a wide grin on his face. “Not sure there’s much left of the original ship Derin, it looks like an assembled pile of scrap.” Iago Surrel continued to remark about the old Rising Fox’s condition. “Come on, you got to see what landed in the next hanger, it’s awesome!” Iago excitedly insisted, taking hold of Derin’s arm and practically dragging him along to the adjacent hanger. Iago’s eyes sparkled as he dragged his friend Derin in front of a glistening starship, its sleek shape and shinning metal surface portrayed the full image of what Iago dreamed of when he heard the word ‘starship’. “Now if you told me a Jedi landed in this, I’d believe you.” Iago boasted, as Derin, finally free from his anxious friend’s grip, caught sight of the prototype X-70B Phantom. Neither of them knew the origin of the design, nor could they, with the ship still in the prototype stage, hardly anyone in the galaxy had seen them yet. But it would soon become painfully obvious to the boys that no Jedi was aboard that ship. Like a shadow herself, a figure stepped out of the dark. Her eyes, a raging yellow, stared intensely, straight through the two young kids. As the boys caught sight of the figure they froze. The woman’s long blonde hair was wrangled and mangy, only topped by the filthy, ripped, state of her black attire. The way she stared at them however, scared them to death. Both had the overpowering urge to run, but found that they couldn’t. Slowly the woman’s gaze shifted, until it met the frightened eyes of Derin. Suddenly, with a flick of her wrist, an invisible force sent Iago flying back, directly through the access door to the adjoined hanger through which they had previously entered. A moment later the door shut. And by the slight twitch of the woman’s finger, he had a strange notion she was responsible. She was still staring at him, with those freaky eyes; she hadn’t taken them off of him for even a moment. But Derin was no longer fixated on her eyes, his focus had shifted along with his fear toward the woman’s hand. He stared at the hand as she lifted it, his fear materializing as his feet lifted off the ground. The hand grabbed at him and though it did not clutch him, he could feel it crushing him. “Where is the Jedi?!” she screamed, so loud it sent a ringing through Derin’s ears. “Tell me or I’ll crush you brat.” She threatened, but Derin was too scared to speak and the tightening grip of the witch’s power was starting to really hurt. Chapter 6 – The Sound of Pain “So I said ‘I don’t really like it when folks get all up in my face.’ Of course that just made him angrier. But the weequay let go of my shirt and took a step back, tripped right over the little snot nosed brat.” Van recounted an old adventure with his friend and adoptive brother as they entered the hanger where the Rising Fox was docked. The two men laughed to the point of tears reliving the moments they’d missed from each other’s lives. “I’d probably have been shot right then and there if it weren’t for that scrawny royal kick in the rear.” He managed to add as he wiped small tears of exhaustive laughter from the inner tips of his eyes. “Speaking of kicks in the rear, where’s mine?” Killric asked as he scanned the hanger floor, in search of his son. “I thought you told him to stay out of the hanger?” Van said, slightly puzzled as to his friends query. “Ha, that’s why I know he’ll be here. Him and that Iago kid, they’re worse than we were back in the day.” Killric responded. Both men gave each other a short glance. “That’s impossible.” Van said quickly and both men bust out in laughter once more. But that laughter would be abruptly interrupted as a frightened twi’lek boy ran hurriedly toward them. Meanwhile, in the next hanger, Derin’s back smashed forcefully in to the beige brick of the hanger’s wall and with the impact, let out a painful gasp. He would have screamed if not for the enraged woman, whose grip straddled his throat. “I’ll ask you one more time…Where’s the Jedi!” She yelled. Though she was meters away from him, blocking his only escape from the hanger, Derin could feel the weight of her grasp as she clutched her hand ever more tightly. “Drop the boy.” A stern man’s voice suddenly ordered, as simultaneously, the barrel of a blaster pistol edged in to Raene’s line of sight. “Slowly.” The man added as he rested the end of the barrel on her temple. She could hear the mechanical click as he cocked the weapon, followed by the sound of the bolt charging, constantly rising in pitch. Slowly she lowered the boy to the ground. “There, was that so…” Van started to say, but was cut off as Raene suddenly attacked. Moving swiftly, she knocked the pistol from his hand and, drawing on the force, sent Van tumbling back in to the dust before he could lift his second pistol to aim properly. His shots flew wide and as he scrapped through the dust of the hanger floor, he wondered what he’d gotten himself in to. Derin gasped for breath, his neck finally free from the woman’s grasp. For a moment the pure relief of unhampered breathing overcame the fear of the encounter, as well as the throbbing of his rear, as he sat in the dirt, having fallen the last few feet to the ground. But it wouldn’t last. Before Raene turned to follow Van in to the next hanger, where the Rising Fox lay docked, she shot a cold glance toward Derin. In an instant the bone chilling fear was back. Even as she walked through the door and left his presence, he knew she wouldn’t forget about him. Van’s body finally came to a halt as it dragged along the dirt floor. Picking himself up from the ground he switched his remaining pistol to his right hand. The woman walked briskly toward him, unwavering and unnerved by the rising pistol in Van’s hand. He fired, unwilling to give up a clear shot opportunity, but it was not as sure as he thought. With animal like reflexes the woman dodged her way through the blaster fire, as if it where nothing, until she stood at point blank range in front of him. With a sudden flick of her wrist, Van’s right arm twisted and any remaining shots were buried in the dirt. With her other hand she then motioned and a supply crate, stacked near by the docked Rising Fox, came crashing in to Van’s side. The collision forced his hand loose from his gun and sent him tumbling, once again, across the hanger floor. Van was trapped under the crate as it came to rest. He could hear the footsteps of his enemy slowly getting closer. “So you want to tell me where the Jedi is?” She said. Moments later the crate lifted from Van’s body, but lingered over him, threatening to crush him completely. “If you don’t know, I have no use for you.” She added, insinuating that he’d be dead very soon if she didn’t like his answer. Before Van could say anything however, a high powered shot flew but an inch from Raene’s cheek. Startled, she turned to see who shot. Up on a higher level, looking down on the chaos was Killric Sado, armed with a simple hunting rifle, but determined to defend his business. Seeing the immediate threat, she forsook Van, who narrowly rolled to safety as the supply crate came crashing to the ground. Raene did not look amused. She dodged the next couple shots, moving with an uncanny speed and flexibility. Reaching out toward Killric, the force began to weave her will. All around Killric, panels ripped from their foundations, arrays bent and buckled, all toward the woman’s hand. In moments Killric himself would be swept down along with the rest of, what was now, debris. Killric tried to stand but his leg was broken. He lifted his rifle to fire at Raene as she approached, only to discover that his arm was broken as well. He wrestled on the ground, reaching for the rifle with his other arm, but Raene worked her sorceress ways once again and ripped it from his grasp. The rifle flew through mid air, straight to her hand. “Noooo!” a woman’s voice cried and a moment later Janeth Sado, Killric’s wife, rushed to her husband’s side. Desperately she tried to shield his broken body from the, now armed, assailant. Raene waved her free arm vigorously outward and as she did, Janeth could feel a pressure pushing at her abdomen. She folded over and then suddenly flew, with violent speed, away from her beloved husband. Unable to control her limbs and dangling in the air, she smashed in to a nearby refueling station. “Janeth!” Killric screamed in a pained voice. The distraction had given Van time, or so he had thought. He ran in for a full tackle, his shoulders low and hunched forward, aimed directly at her back. All seemed well till the last moment. All Van could see was her back, he was so close, as it twisted and her hand came directly in front of his face. A jolt of lightning sparked and struck, and before he knew it Van was on his back again. He was still tingling from the shock when he heard the fateful sound of a blaster shot. A moment he’d remember for the rest of his life as, regaining some degree of sense, he manages to confirm his fears. His life long friend and adoptive brother lay dead, a point blank shot to the head defiling his face. Janeth wept in the dirt. With no strength to stand and no hope of overpowering the evil woman she saw nothing else to do. But her focus was about to change, despite the overwhelming emotions bearing down on her from the events just past. As from the edge of the hanger bay, a young boy’s voice cried out in a similar pain. “Father!?” Derin yelled through streaming tears. “Derin!” Janeth yelled back in shock as she stared at her son in horror. The fear took hold and her gaze instinctively whipped round to face Raene. Who smiled psychotically and brought the rifle to bare at Janeth. “Van! Take care of Derin!” Janeth began to say but she was cut off. Raene fired a single bolt in to the refueling station, creating a spark to ignite it. Derin and Van could do nothing but watch as Janeth Sado was consumed whole by the erupting flames. “No!” Derin screamed for what seemed like forever. His mind was wild with emotions, his heart ripping from his chest. Suddenly, both Raene and Van were forced to clutch their ears in immense pain. The boy’s emotions brought out his connection to the force. Embodied in the scream, his emotions emerged, piercing the air and striking all that can hear. Unable to stand the sound, Raene collapses to the floor, dropping the rifle as she grabbed at her ears in frustrated agony. Thinking fast, she reached out in the force, pulling a small hydrospanner from the floor and knocking the boy out, for his own good, as well as theirs. Free of the sonic concussive forces, Raene grasped at the rifle once again. But, just as she managed to get a hold of it, a small, durable, cable latched itself to the grip. “I don’t think so.” Van Starwind said as he tussled with Raene over possession of the rifle. “All I wanted was the Jedi.” Raene plagues Van, tired of toying with weaklings. “I’m right here!” Kyle’s voice yelled out, startling both combatants, who had been too busy with each other to notice the noise of an approaching speeder bike. As Raene turned. to face the man she’d been searching for. she came face to face with a speeder bike just as Kyle was abandoning it. The speeder crashed in to her, knocking her across the room. Raene stood up and faced the Jedi, finally. In the space of a heartbeat, her face went from radiant and psychotically happy, to a disappointed sadistic hate. She screamed at Kyle, as though she was nothing but a beast and then fled, scaling the walls of the hanger bay before disappearing. “Who was she?” Van asked Kyle as it became evident that pursuit would be a waste of time. “You’re asking me?” Kyle responded truly baffled at the thought that he would know. “Well she was looking for you.” Van continued the conversation, confused, angry and hurt. “I think it’s evident now, that it wasn’t me she was looking for.” Kyle said with a concerned and puzzled tone. Chapter 7 – A Storm Cometh Corporal Damon Rann grows concerned as he, along with the rest of his squad, pass by the formation of dunes where Damon had seen Kyle last. He’d heard nothing from him and until now, had assumed he’d be waiting here. “Kyle, Van, anybody reading this?” Damon hailed the Rising Fox, determined to ascertain his young Jedi friend’s fate, while the squad of troopers hurriedly made their way towards Anchorhead. The skies grew dark as they punched all they could get out of their speeder bikes, the few carrying trailers laden with parts trailing slightly behind. Meanwhile, aboard the Rising Fox, Kyle made his way past the cockpit of the craft after an extensive, although quite useless, discussion with Van. His immediate thoughts were concerned with putting the ills of the day past them, getting some rest and completing their escort mission. But as he passed the cockpit, he caught the repeating message from Corporal Rann. “Oh right, the convoy.” He muttered as he suddenly changed direction stept in to the cockpit and plunker down in the flight seat. “Damon, it’s Kyle. I’m fine, here back at the Fox. We’re waiting for you and those parts. As soon as you’re here we’ll be good to go.” He answers enthusiastically over the comlink. “Goo… to he…r it. We’l… be the… s…n. Hopefully, …fore thi… storm hit…” The reply came back riddled with interference. Fortunately Kyle could discern most of what was being said. But unfortunately, he’d made a false assumption he would soon realize. “Ok, you’re breaking up, look out for that sandstorm guys, those things can be deadly.” Kyle responded and turned to go and check the comm. array for any damage. “Not a sandstorm Kyle, a storm… storm. With the light… an.. the clou..” Damon’s signal was lost again in distortions, but the moment of clarity sent a chill down Kyle’s spine. He ran back to the comlink and practically screamed in to it. “Corporal we’re on Tatooine, they’ve never heard of a rainstorm! Get out of there!” Damon received the warning but it was already too late. In a grand display of power, lightning surged through the sky. Strike after strike rained down across the convoy’s path, striking members as they continued along on their speeder bikes. Half the squad was killed traversing the lightning, either by a direct hit to them or a bolt to their speeder, sending it spiraling out of control or merely exploding on contact. The convoy was forced to a halt when one of the towing speeders came to just such a violent fate. What remained of their squad was in disarray, dodging the lightning which struck like a deadly net from the heavens all around them, they tried to regroup in order to fall back to a secure position. But once again they would find that their ways had been predicted, and that they’d just fallen in to yet another trap. The lightning storm ended, and for a moment the remaining six men scan their surroundings meticulously. In an instant and from out of nowhere, a gust of wind picks up and a blanket of dust and sand is hurled all across the plain in a rolling, consuming, wave. It washed over the troopers, clouding their vision and pounded in to them. “Switching to thermal.” Damon heard over the squad comlink, built in to their helmets, as he himself struggled to see in the fog of sand around him. But a moment later the same voice let out a pained scream. “Don’t switch to thermal, don’t switch.” another voice said in panic. Another trooper let out a blood curdling scream. A moment later the remaining men, unable to see anything but each other around them, catch sight of a vague red glow nearby. “Sith!” Sergeant Mugaba, the squad leader suddenly yells out, realizing the true nature of the perils that had befallen his squad. The announcement was met with what could be considered the appropriate response. The troops spread out in an attempt to envelop the vague red light. Laying down as much firepower as they could, but unable to gauge the distance to, or movements of their target, they fired in vain. The final gasps of soldiers around them toys with the survivors’ minds, as their mysterious attacker picks them off one by one. With death staring them all in the face, Damon threw the risks away and went with an insane improvised solution. “RPG, hit the dirt!” He screamed as he pointed his repeating blaster up in the air and switched the setting. He waited a moment to hear the end of the blaster fire before launching the explosive round in to the sky with only the slightest angle. He quickly dropped to the sand at his feet and curled up before the round exploded above him. The resulting shockwave blew the lingering sand away and clearing the plain. Damon lifted his head to the delight that his plan had worked, but devastated as he realized the state of their squad. Only he, Sergeant Mugaba and a private named Hesas were left alive, scattered about on the plains amongst their dead brethren. In an emotional outcry private Hesas charged at their enemy, who was now, finally, out in the open. A rather short woman with long black hair, robed in red. Hesas approached her firing, but it was a fruitless effort. The first two shots where blocked by her saber and buried in the dust. The following two had a more ominous course. They flew back toward Hesas, the first smashing and breaking his rifle, the second ramming straight in to his neck and with that the troopers’ numbers had fallen by yet one more. “Where’s the Jedi?” The woman suddenly asked in a bitter tone. The two troopers were shocked and speechless at her sudden interrogation. “Strange policy you got, kill first then ask questions.” Sergeant Mugaba finally retorted as he slowly closed their distance, his heavy repeater fixed on the sith. “The Jedi was supposed to be here. It’s obvious he isn’t now.” she answered, mockingly motioning to their dead comrades with her unarmed hand. Damon held back, covering his sergeant with the fullest of his concentration. “Where is he? Not on the ship up there right?” She said and for a brief moment her eyes trailed up to the republic hammerhead class starship in orbit above the planet. “No” Mugaba blurted out definitively, seeing through the trick to distract his attention and divert his gaze. But he’d read the trick wrong, her eyes flicked back and stared straight through him. “Good” she almost whispered and a wicked grin began to grow on her face. Suddenly she pulled out a long range detonator and without a moments hesitation activated the device. Within an instant the hammerhead starship in orbit began to rip apart. Various explosions rippled across its hull, emanating from within and finally dooming the vessel. It wasn’t until he was watching debris fall from the stratosphere that Damon realized he’d taken his eyes off his enemy. In full panic he turned back to face the heartless sith woman, wondering how they’d managed to make someone, so young, so wicked. Sergeant Mugaba didn’t need to look to know what was happening, he only felt the need to kill the one who was guilty. He fired as he strafed his way toward his enemy, who volleyed any good shot he had back in his direction. His rifle wasn’t very accurate, but it sprayed a relentless amount of firepower for any size force. But with the amount of return fire he had no option but to close the distance to finish this. From behind Damon loads another RPG round in to his own weapon. With Mugaba closing distance his shots become more accurate and his enemy was increasingly strained with every shot. Damon watched and took a moment to steady his aim, he couldn’t afford to miss that shot, but with his sergeant quickly approaching his target he has little time left. He fired and the RPG round shot forward on a perfect course. A second later Mugaba was forced to drop his overheated, heavily damaged, weapon. But his resolve was not shaken. Rushing forward he pulled a rather hefty vibroblade from a sheath on the back of his belt. A heroic effort, unfortunately it was not successful. Only a couple meters from the young sith woman he was reminded of the lightning that had killed half of his squad, in a rather harsh manner. Continuous volleys of lightning cascaded from the woman’s fingertips until Mugaba fell to his knees. He couldn’t tell why the woman had stopped, but her attention had been diverted for a moment, as an RPG round came hurtling towards her. Moments before it impacted she took hold of the projectile with the force, and with steady, heartless, control, pushed it straight in to Sergeant Mugaba, where it promptly erupted. Damon screamed in a heartfelt rage, not even a year had past since Coruscant and already it was happening again. Using a sand dune for his own cover, he fired pointlessly at the young, murderous, woman, until using the force, she pulled his weapon from his grasp and sent it flying in to the sand dunes. The Sith approached him with her saber active, he was helpless. But behind her, in the sky, he saw his salvation. The Rising Fox was heading straight for them at full speed, they were flying low and until that moment Damon had forgotten he had a Jedi. Chapter 8 – The Hunt Begins The Rising Fox came rushing by, the turbo lasers firing wildly in to the dunes below as they flew over the battlefield carnage in the sand below. Damon took the opportunity to run, making his way along the top ridge of the sand dune as the Rising Fox swooped round. As it lowered it’s altitude near Damon Rann, the cargo ramp started to open, lowering itself slowly. Upon it, Kyle Laurent stood waiting, his saber in hand and active, as he hanged on to one of the hydraulic mechanisms. Kyle leapt from the ramp as the Fox continued its descent, dropping himself between the fleeing Damon Rann and his pursuer as he ran to meet the ship. The Jedi and the Sith collided in a dazzling display of technique and skill. Their lightsabers crashed in to each other as Kyle boldly held his defense, strong and unwavering, despite the merciless flurry of enraged lashes that his adversary through at him. Soon however, it became apparent that Kyle’s skills with a blade far outmatched her own. “You look younger than I expected, Corso. My master wants me to destroy you.” the woman said, reaching a pause in the battle as she is forced to recognize her weakness. A puzzled look came over Kyle’s face. “I am not the Jedi you seek.” He stated abruptly as the two combatants stared each other down. “Then why did my little hound lead me to you.” she responded, obviously discontent with Kyle’s denial of being the man she had sought. For a moment the fight continued, but this time, Kyle did not remain defensive. They struck back and forth at each other. “I’m not Terrek Corso.” Kyle yelled. “And yet you know his name. If you are not him, then where is he?” she spat back at him. “My master died during the battle of Coruscant.” Kyle said and again they stood there merely staring at each other. Meanwhile, Damon had just reached the open docking ramp of the Fox and was making his way inside. He heard a kid’s voice call over the ships communications systems. “You should put a gun pod on the bottom too, then I could just shoot her.” The young Derin Sado suggested from where he sat in the gunner’s pod aboard the ship. “Great kid, with you ‘aiming’ again I’m sure we’ll all be toast.” An aggravated Van replied as he ran around, frantically adjusting and tuning the Fox. “Jedi shouldn’t lie.” The Sith woman said bluntly, staring in to Kyle’s eyes with hate and anger. A surge of lightning welled between her hands. She clutched them together and motioned them forward, sending a continuous arc of lightning smashing in to Kyle’s lightsaber. The lightning surged in waves, buckling and bending its direction. Smaller sparks flew off, jolting Kyle as he held back the mass of energy being propelled at him. The surge came to a halt but was followed by bolt after bolt in rapid succession. Eventually one such bolt caught the hilt of his weapon and the resulting surge ruptured the power cell, the blade of his weapon disappeared before his eyes. The Sith in response activated her own weapon and hurled it at the, now unarmed, Jedi. Reaching out in the force, Kyle changed the direction of the wildly spinning blade that had been speeding towards him. The blade veered off course, flying past Kyle and slicing in to the Rising Fox behind him. “Oh you did not just hurt my baby!” yelled Van angrily as he took his seat behind the flight controls and moved the Fox in closer to them, threatening to crush them both, with the loading ramp scrapping the dune sand. With the ship approaching, on an almost suicidal course of action, the hands of the red Sith woman began to spark a new. With all her might she vaulted the power of the dark side in to her adversary. Kyle braced himself, catching the incoming threat with his hands and holding it back with the force. He let his enemies power build, wrapping it in an endless loop, in order to maintain it as more energy was hurled toward him. The power built until finally it erupted, sending Kyle and the red clad Sith in opposite directions in an explosion of force energy. Kyle had had the mixed luck of having been pushed directly in to the Rising Fox as it approached. “Van we’re all on board! Stop being suicidal and get us out of here!” Damon yelled over the com system after nearly smashing the button to activate it, desperate to save their lives from the maniac captain of this ship. Moments later, they started gaining altitude pulling away from Tatooine’s surface and soaring up to the stratosphere. Their mission was a complete failure, their hearts saddened by loss and their minds full of questions. With the planet in their wake, the Rising Fox punched in to hyperspace, leaving the sector behind. Breathing a sigh of relief, Van Starwind made his way back, from the cockpit, to the communal area. There, Damon Rann and Kyle Laurent discussed the particulars of the events as they had just unfolded. Preparing their reports, to the best of their ability, and attempting to wrap their minds around the dark plot which they’d found themselves caught up in. Derin Sado, the ten year old, recently orphaned, boy sat quietly in his seat. His heart was heavy with the loss of his parents and the grief hung in an overwhelming manner upon his face. As Van entered, it became obvious that both men where discussing the topic in lieu of dealing with the boy, neither of them sure of what to say, or what to do. Van walked starkly over to the son of his, now deceased, brother and sank threw his knees in order to level with the boy. “I’m sorry about your folks Derin, I’m sorry I had to take you from your home.” Van said sorrowfully, tears welling in the rough, wise cracking, smuggler of the outer rim’s eyes. The interaction stopped Kyle and Damon in mid conversation; they’d both wanted to comfort the poor kid. Kyle walked over to the boy, whose eyes were tearing, as he shivered silently in his seat. Kyle wrapped his double breasted, brown leather, flight jacket, the same one his father used to wear, over the boy’s shoulders and the warmth surged through Derin like a calming mist. “Do not fear Derin, the pain will fade, I’ll help you with that, I promise.” Kyle comforted the child along side Van as they journeyed coreward to relay the fateful doom of their friends and allies. Kyle felt as though he knew the boy’s pain, having had his own father killed in a similar feud years ago. He wondered if Derin could be saved, if the connection to the force, that had erupted when his parents died, could be tamed. “Van, if you’re ok with it, I’d like to see about training him.” Kyle said, his tone calm, collected and serious. Van stared back at him, in a manner that suggested that he was being cautious, but generally agreed with the proposal. Derin looked up slightly confused, his head twitching back and forth between the two men. He wondered if he’d followed the men’s conversation correctly, was he going to be a Jedi? Dain Jade made her way to Anchorhead in the dead of night on a stolen republic speeder bike. Taking no detours, she went directly to her ship, docked in the local spaceport under false transponder codes. As she approached her ship, as of yet unnoticed, she found that it had been marked as part of a local investigation. She didn’t care, silently but swiftly she entered her ship, sticking to the shadows. Once up the ramp she strode quickly to the communications machinery. After fiddling with the links for some time, a blue projection came to life on a large display unit in the center of the machinery. Dain knelled as the dark clad figure came in to view. “I have failed you my master.” She said her voice a mix of fear and sadness. “Have you found him?” the man responded in total disregard to her statement. “No my lord, only his apprentice.” She retorted, trying to reserve a cold demeanor, and at the same time trying to redeem some grace in the eyes of her master. “What of him.” The hologram demanded. “He narrowly escaped me, my lord.” Dain answered, increasingly fearful of the repercussions of her failures. “It is of no consequence, find the master, kill him. If the asset can not help you, than she has outlived her usefulness. Terminate her.” Her master said conclusively, his contempt for and disappointment in his apprentice painfully clear, and with that the transmission halted.

Star Wars The Old Republic: The Tales of Twisted Fate The Adventures of Kyle Laurent, Episode I – The Hunted Jedi (ATC 0) Chapter 1 - Ambushed All around the galaxy, skirmishes break out. The strong armed treaty, though declaring peace, did little to stifle the forces of either side’s will too fight. Though the grand campaigns of imperial conquest seemed to be over, the Republic Guard were forced to stand by and watch contested systems suffer and fall under the treaty’s conditions. Generals and admirals all across the galaxy defiantly continued to mount their own campaigns of glory against their respective foes. Deep in the outer rim a republic Hammerhead class starship was on its way home, returning from a failed attempt at emergency rescue. Despite being unable to save the convoy, the Hammerhead and its crew had ensured that the pirates responsible would not be causing any more trouble. Suddenly, in the emptiness of the space surrounding them, a lone sith battlecruiser dropped out of hyperspace and ambushed them. The Hammerhead’s escort squadron fought ruthlessly as hordes of imperial fighters, erupted from the battlecruiser’s hanger bays, threatening to engulf them. Kyle Laurent weaved back and forth among the multitude of hostile ships, wreaking havoc among their ranks. Despite the constant chatter coming from the republic comm channel his hands were loose, his mind clear and undistracted. He had plenty of questions and he could feel that those questions were shared by those around him. How did the empire find them? Why did they attack them? Did they mean to find them there, and if not what were they doing in a distant corner of the outer rim? But the questions would have to wait. As Kyle broke through the rear lines, of the incoming imperial fighters, many turned to follow him. He’d have to keep his wits about him if he wanted to survive. Meanwhile, aboard the Republic Hammerhead. “It worked! He’s drawing them away” a slightly exited, very nervous young man yelled out across the bridge. “Now we just have to hope he lives long enough to make a difference here.” The captain, a young, petit, blonde woman with short hair, responded. “Don’t you worry your sweet little tush captain, He’s the best darn pilot I’ve ever seen” the voice of Van Starwind blurted out over the bridge’s comm. “I hope so, or else his sacrifice will have been for nothing.” The captain snapped back at Van over the commlink, convinced that Kyle’s decoy run would get him killed.. “I hope you like surprises captain, anyway I’ll be out there with them in a second. I just got to my ship…Wish me luck.” responded Starwind, a belated humor in his tone. “Good luck Van” The captain said, barely audible. Van switched off his comlink as he approached the Rising Fox, shivered at the thought of listening to that woman bark orders out during a combat engagement. As the ship shook from the firepower of the enemy barrage, he turned about at the bottom of the access ramp and, somewhat frantically, looked around the hanger. At the far end of the hanger a group of troopers was busy hastily arming the last of the fighters in the bay. “Hey you!” Van yelled generically in their direction, causing a few of them to look over. “I need a gunner!” he yelled as he headed up the ramp, in to the Rising Fox. Most of the troopers who’d noticed him yell went back to work. Those that didn’t looked around at each other waiting for someone to step forward. “Hurry up!” Van’s voice resounded from inside the Fox, full of agitation and impatience. Not a moment later the sound of a wrench hitting the metal floor echoed out and Damon Rann came sprinting past his fellow troopers from in between two docked fighters and straight up in to the Rising Fox. The boarding ramp withdrew, the door shut and the ship took off, out of the hanger and in to the battle outside. “I could swear I just got off this hunk of junk!” Damon yelled through the Fox’s interior as he made his way to the gunners pod. “Oh…Great….It’s you…I guess I won’t feel so bad if I get us killed then.” Van retorted, and with that they entered the mad fray of panic that raged, in the guise of a battle. Chapter 2 - A Risky Maneuver The last words to be spoken by many pilots flooded over the comm., often cut short or over taken by static as the defense of the republic ship waned. “Turn towards the battlecruiser.” The captain of the Hammerhead frantically ordered. “Ma’am, in our current state we’re no match for their firepower!” her first mate protested “It doesn’t matter we’ve got to protect the engines. As long as they’re active we have a chance at escape.” The captain retorted. Not amused in the slightest by the questioning of her orders. “Right! Right! Pull right!” Damon’s panicked voice screamed over the Fox’s comm. system as a wing of imperial fighters soared straight at them. Moments before they collided Van pitched the Fox left, simultaneously pulling hard right, forcing the Fox into a corkscrew maneuver around the central fighter. Damon screamed as the other fighters in formation passed only inches from his gunner’s pod. Despite the proximity, he fired, not willing to pass up the sure hit. Various fighters promptly erupted in balls of flames, nearly catching the Fox in the blast. “Set us on course to move above them. Equalize shield strength, Prepare to initiate slow barrel roll to disperse their firepower.” The captain frantically barked out her orders, the ship shook from the enemy’s barrage as she spoke. “We’ll never survive, the turbolasers!” Her first mate yelled, continuing his protest to her course of action. The captain shot him a disgusted look, but even she found it difficult to believe they’d survive. After a short pause she found her composure again. “Full speed ahead, all batteries aim for their bridge. We’ll force them to turn out of our trajectory.” She said as she turned to face the carnage outside. “Commander, grow a pair and be ready to make the jump to hyperspace as soon as we’re clear.” She then added. Members of the crew hurried across the bridge, carrying out the captain’s orders while the ship continued to shake violently. “All wings…engage the battlecruiser’s top-side turbo lasers.” The captain said sorrowfully, already starting to mourn the losses she knew were coming. With the ship moving in above their enemy she knew the crossfire alone would likely be the death of many of their fighters if not all. But they needed to divert as much of the enemies firepower away from their ship if they wanted any chance at escape. Van hadn’t heard what was going on, he’d turned off his comm. To the fleet, he did however catch the sight of the first wave of republic fighters as they pulled straight in to the sea of crossfire between the two larger vessels. Most of the squadron was ripped apart in seconds. “No…No, no! Damon… hold on to your butt!” Van yelled as he watched another squadron descend in to the chaos and, guessing the plan, prepared to follow them in. A slim figure stood motionless in the center of the imperial battlecruiser’s bridge amongst the hectic officers controlling the battle. Her blood red cloak draped down to the floor, hiding her figure. The hood, pulled up, concealed her face. The captain approached her as the bridge shook violently. “We’ve lost the bridge deflector shields!” he yelled, visibly scared. “Do not let them escape captain. The admiral has informed me of your previous failures, you will not fail again.” The blood red clad woman spat back at the captain. “Port side turn! Match pitch! Line up our broadside and take out their hyperdrive. They will not evade us today.” The captain said, turning back to his crew. Meanwhile, the mysterious woman in red silently left the bridge. The Fox dropped down from the elevated Hammerhead, down toward the battlecruiser below. The squadron before them pulling apart the enemy fighters that flooded toward them, while the heavy batteries from both ships fired non stop, creating a chaotic rainstorm of laser fire. “Follow me!” Van yelled after adjusting the Fox’s comm. system to communicate with the squadrons around him again. The Fox sped forward, barely dodging its demise. It barely pulled safe of ramming in to the battelcruiser’s top deck and soared toward the bridge. “Stay low!” he barked over the comm. They nearly scrapped the deck below attempting to avoid the range of the larger turbo lasers as they honed in on their target. “Their fire is being diverted.” A young man on the Hammerhead’s bridge yelled, a slight enthusiasm in his voice. “We might survive this after all” the first mate said under his breath moments before the bridge was, again, shaken violently. As the crew recovered from the shock, their worst fear had been realized. “The hyperdrive’s been hit!” A member of the bridge crew screamed in disbelief. The remaining republic fighters were dropping like flies as they etched ever closer to being within missile range of the enemy bridge. “They’re behind us!” the scream of a republic pilot, near the Rising Fox echoed over the comm. before his fighter burst in to flames and slammed in to the deck below. Van maneuvered away from the hull of the enemy ship before he was picked off like the fighters behind him. The rest, both enemy and allied fighters, followed him out. Still bursting toward the bridge, Van pulled the Fox in to a continuous barrel roll, narrowly avoiding the fire from all directions. “Come on baby…keep on rising…you foxy lady you” Van recited his lucky chant, in a playful tone under his breath while he, half panicked, steered them through the heaviest firefight he’d ever seen. “Almost there, almost there, almost there” Damon repeatedly pointed out while biting his lip in anxiety. His eyes were fixed on the distance indicator next to his targeting reticule. Suddenly, from above and behind the imperial battelcruiser, a line of blaster fire came shooting past the Fox. It rammed straight in to the pursuing enemy fighters, dispersing those that weren’t destroyed. “Van you better not miss this shot!” Said the familiar voice of Kyle Laurent as his fighter soared head on toward the Rising Fox, picking off enemies behind and finally flew, full speed, past the Fox as it continued on and in to range of the bridge. “Fire!” Damon screamed in rage as his reticule switched to indicate a lock. While Damon fired away, Van let go two missiles, which promptly shot forward and erupted right on target. The bridge ignited in a giant display of sparks and fire. Slowly the movement from the rest of the ship stopped. The fighters broke off and the republic forces cheered as they pulled away from the battle and in to space. As the cheers started to settle the captain turned her attention to her ship. “What’s the damage, can we still jump? We need to regroup as soon as possible.” She said, aware that they were not out of danger yet. “The hyperdrive is leaking, we can make a short jump but we’ve got to get this repaired or we’ll be in the same shape as the unfortunate imperial friends we just escaped.” Her first mate responded, after reviewing their condition. “Set course for the nearest system, we’ll repair there, we have to leave now.” She ordered before leaving the bridge to conduct other matters. “Set Course for Tatooine, easy on the hyperdrive. We want to arrive in one piece.” The first mate ordered, now in command of the bridge. As the orders spread out to the remaining fighters the Republic Hammerhead, activated its hyperdrive and disappeared. “Hey kid, glad you made it. See you on Tatooine Kyle.” Van said over his comm.. “Uhm…about that Van… think you could give me a lift. My engines seem to be burnt out.” Kyle replied over the comm. system in his usual no problems tone of voice. Van laughed as he pulled in next to the floating fighter and prepared to bring Kyle aboard. Chapter 3- Old Friends The Rising Fox dropped out of hyperspace above the desert planet of Tatooine. Damon sat in the co-pilot seat next to Van, having left the turret in the aftermath of the battle. As Van plotted in a descending course, the silhouette of the badly damaged Hammerhead came in to view. “I’m glad you made it Van. I’m sorry about your Jedi friend.” said the voice of the Hammerhead’s captain over the comm. system. Only a moment later Kyle stepped in to the Fox’s cockpit. He’d taken the time to change out of his flight suit and back in to his regular attire consisting of a loose fitting pair of blue trousers and a simple white shirt. His father’s old brown, double breasted, flight jacket hung loose over his shoulders and one of his high, tough, boots was still in his hand. “Sorry to disappoint cap’ but I’m still here.” Kyle said in his usual playful, light hearted, tone of voice while he strapped on his other boot in the back of the cockpit. There was a short silence from the comm. while the Fox continued planetside. “We’ve sent a team down to pick up some supplies and the parts we need to fix the hyperdrive. If you could help transporting those supplies we would be most grateful Captain Starwind.” A young man’s voice said over the comm. in place of the Hammerhead’s captain. “Sounds great, I’ll turn on my beacon, they can follow it to my ship, I’ve got to say hello to someone while we’re stuck here.” Van responded. With that the Rising Fox left the view of the hammerhead, as though swallowed by the planet bellow. Not long after, the Fox touched down in the starport of Anchorhead. The boarding ramp came down and before it touched the sandy ground of Tatooine Van Starwind was already walking down it. There was nobody there to greet them but the scorching heat of Tatooine’s twin suns. The Rising Fox had once been a common sight on the planet, but a decade had passed since then. It even took Van a little while to get used to the fell brightness of Tatooine’s twin suns before he could see properly again. As usual on the dessert planet there was an assortment of small business ventures that, given the history of the planet, were doomed to fail. Then of course there were the locals, those that weren’t hostile like Jawas who flourished in and around the spaceports. They learned to get along with the galaxies undesirables, who came to the planet looking for a job or just trying to disappear. There was really only one ‘low-life’ Van was searching for though, and he was positive that his arrival had not gone unnoticed. Just then one of the access ways to their hanger opened and Van saw the wide-grinning face of an old friend. The arrival caught the attention of Damon and Kyle, who did not know the man. He was a short man with thick, wavy blonde hair. He had a sturdy build and a rather pale skin, considering the climate he called home. The two men yelled in a fashion of greetings as they approached each other. Suddenly Van swept his arm round and punched the man straight in the jaw who then collapsed on the floor. “That’s for Janeth!” Van yelled over the collapsed man before turning around to see the stunned faces of Kyle and Damon, who looked curiously at his still widening grin. Before they could ask what was going on, the man had already gotten to his feet. Just as Kyle started to raise his hand in warning to Van, Van swung round, as though expecting it. He turned straight in to the curled fist of the blonde man and in a similar fashion collapsed. “That’s for Tisha, you sorry excuse for a space pilot!” The blonde man said, obviously responding to Van’s earlier comment, “And you’re one worthless farmer Killric!” Van replied as he pulled himself back to his feet. “You still got a mean right hook though.” Van added. After a silent moment of intense starring the two men suddenly broke out laughing. “Kyle, Damon. This is Killric Sado, a simple moisture farmer here on the beautiful plains of Tatooine.” Van enthusiastically introduced the man, raising his hand in their direction in an overly dramatic presentation. “Welcome to Tatooine, any friends of Van’s are friends of mine.” said Killric as he extended his hand to greet them both. “Derin… Derin come here and meet your uncle Van.” Killric yelled out. The hanger had become busier during the conversation. A maintenance crew, mainly comprised of Jawas had begun work on the Rising Fox. It added to the unusual for Kyle, who had seen Van yell in docking ports across the galaxy to ‘keep your nerf-hearting hands off my ship.’ While Van and Killric immersed themselves in conversation, a child of ten years old came dashing from between the Jawas, dressed in a matching maroon robe, like a crazed rocket. It startled Kyle as the child zipped by, and out of reflex, he grabbed the boys hood. The boy came to an abrupt halt before he was yanked back towards Kyle, who then quickly let go. “Derin…” Killric said with a bit of disappointment in his voice as the boy got to his feet. “Well if it isn’t a chip off the old block. I remember the night this little critter was born.” Van said turning to the 10 year old version of his friend. As he bent through his knees to come to the boy’s eye level he felt nostalgic, like he was looking back in time at his friend and suddenly, he felt old. “I bet you just love farming like your daddy don’t you?” Van asked the child less than sincerely. He tried not to laugh and began to rush the sentence as he was being cut short by Killric. “You know we aren’t farmers anymore, I practically run this port, dad turned us in to farmers and you know well as I do he hated it.” Killric ranted frantically, obviously a nerve had been touched by the question posed. The two men looked at each other again straight in the eye and at the same time asked. “So why did we move to this barren rock?!” before, once again, breaking out in hysterical laughter. Soon however Damon interjected. “I’m sorry, but we really should meet up with the republic convoy and get going, you can stay back and reminisce if you want but I’m employed and on a schedule, so I gotta go.” He said to Van. “Go on ahead. I’ll keep an eye on the Fox and catch up with my buddy here. The ship will be waiting when you get back.” Van replied. “It was a pleasure meeting you Killric.” said Kyle before joining Damon on his way out of the hanger area and on to the streets of Anchorhead. From there they’d rent a couple speeders and meet up with the convoy to, hopefully, speed up the repair of the damaged Hammerhead starship orbiting the planet. Chapter 4 – The Beast in the Cave Outside the haven of Anchorhead, in the vast expanse of dessert, two speeder bikes race across the plain. Moving quickly, side by side, two distinct dust trails billow in their wake as Kyle and Damon rush to meet up with the republic squad ahead. Suddenly Kyle slammed on the brakes and Damon noticed himself shoot ahead of the Jedi, who came to an abrupt stop. Damon swept round with his rented speeder bike and pulled up next to the identical model, on which Kyle sat staring down at the chassis. “What’s wrong?” Damon asked slightly concerned. “I feel…cold.” Kyle responded, as though searching for the right words only to come to an ominous conclusion. “You’re joking right? It’s boiling out here and don’t tell me it’s the armor, there are two blazing suns up there.” Damon said with a bit of humor but obviously driving for a more compete answer. The two men had gotten used to each others’ mannerisms in the months that followed the siege of Coruscant. Since the Treaty of Coruscant Damon had been lost, his unit was gone, the fight lost. He’d managed to escape death by mere luck, the crazy rouge pilot Van Starwind saved his life and from there his adventures with Kyle began. Both thrust in to new stages of their lives, Damon had no idea what destiny had in store for them, but he knew that when he travelled with them they saved lives, they made a difference. “Go on ahead I’ll catch up when I can. I… I have to check this out.” Kyle said. He knew that Damon was hoping for a more insightful response but the truth was, he didn’t really know what he was feeling. “Check what out? It’s sand, sand and some more sand!” Damon yelled at Kyle as the jedi jumped off of his speeder bike and walked out in to the dessert. “Alright don’t take too long, we want to get off this burnt dust ball as soon as possible.” Damon said in a final effort of communication before speeding off, towards the convoy and his fellow republic troopers. Kyle stared in the distance as Damon sped off, before him nothing but dunes of shining sand and an ominous chill in the force, drawing him forward. As the cloud of dust, left in the wake of Damon’s speeder, disappeared over the horizon, Kyle turned his gaze to see him pass beyond sight. He closed his eyes and tried to focus, to sense the source of the darkness around him. Turning to face the endless dunes again, Kyle was astonished to see the mouth of a large cave on the far side of a nearby dune. He was not surprised there was a cave, but as his sight fell upon it, a wave of the same presence cascaded over him. Cautiously Kyle approached the cave while the sinister presence attempted to invade his mind, prodding him for weakness. As Kyle enters the mouth of the cave his vision fails. The stark contrast between the light of Tatooine’s twin suns and the pitch black of the cave force the young Jedi Knight to rely on his other senses. He reaches out in the force, searching for the origin of the dark presence, but it seems to envelop all. His eyes began to adjust as he made his way down in to the depths of the cave. A single huge tunnel carved its way down the length and thin, pointy, stalagmites and stalactites had formed all about, the concentration of which, however, was near the sides of the cavern. There, many of the rock formations had grown together, creating slender concave columns, narrowing the main tunnel path. Descending further the rock formations stopped and Kyle was left standing in the seemingly shifting darkness. The fleeting presence brooded around him, never still. Kyle glimpsed what he believed to be a figure in the dark before him and a moment later the blue glow of his lightsaber’s blade burst out, in to the cavern. In that blue light the figure took shape, a dark clad and hooded man with a particularly long lightsaber hilt in his outstretched hands. The darkness that had emanated from all about had finally revealed its source, but what was this dark lord doing here, Kyle thought. The answer was irrelevant, he brought his saber up to guard before his opponent and with that the mysterious hooded man ignited the top end of his lightsaber, invading the blue light with that of his purple blade and illuminating himself further. His black robes were accented by a branching pattern of purple lightning. The hilt of his lightsaber bore a similar design in gold, the pattern twisting round the grip. His face however, was still dark, from under the hood all that Kyle could see was the faint glow of two radiant yellow eyes. Kyle stepped forward, time seemed to pass slowly as the combatants neared each other and before the first strike, his enemy released the other end of his lightsaber, producing another dazzling purple blade. Taking the initiative, Kyle engaged, striking hard at his opponent and driving him back. The counter came soon after and time continued to pass slowly to Kyle. He blocked a blow from his left and the follow up to his right, after which, with a slight twist of the wrist, brought his saber crashing down on his opponent’s weapon. The double-bladed lightsaber split apart and the dark figure stumbled backward. With only a single blade working, the dark cave dweller brought his saber up to guard, at last illuminating his face. Kyle went pale, for the first time during the fight he was unaware of the passage of time. For the first time since he’d felt this presence, he was afraid. The face of his assailant was none other than that of his master’s, Terrek Corso, twisted and possessed by the dark side. Though in the back of his mind Kyle knew what was happening, the fear had grabbed hold and penetrated his mind. “No!” Kyle screamed. The sound echoed through the cave as he madly swiped the face, which had to be a lie, from the evil thing before him. An instant to late Kyle realized his mistake. The dark clad man fell to his knees and began to disappear. As the head of the force aberration fell back, the slice in its throat widening, its face relaxed and the deep green of his master’s eyes returned. He cried, though before at his fright, he cried now at his ignorance. Unfortunately he did not have long. Reality returned to him and the darkness fled the cave. As the illusion of his master disappeared before him, the spot on which he was fixated, the fatal wound on Terrek’s neck, did not fade. Or so he thought, until the wounded lid of a giant eye blinked in irritation. “Oh…Sithspit!” Kyle yelled as he ran for his life, realizing the terror he’d awoken. From behind him an agonizing, billowing roar echoed violently. He ran as fast as he could between the crumbling rock formations around him as the massive beast began to catch up. The space around him seemed to be getting darker and with the help of the force he leapt forward, moments before the giant claw of a Krayt Dragon came crushing down where he had stood. He couldn’t continue like this, with the little bit of distance he’d gained, he turned to face his foe. Reaching out in the force he closed his eyes, his hands palm to palm. Slowly he drew them apart, as though under a great strain and the cave began to shake violently. Stalactites fell from above and barraged the Krayt Dragon, too massive to dodge the falling projectiles. It howled and roared as it was pummeled, but continued to steadily creep toward Kyle until it towered over him. It brought its right claw up to swipe at Kyle when a sharp Stalactite came slamming in to it and pinned it back to the ground. With its leg impaired the giant beast lunged forward, snapping its jaws in the wake of the fleeing jedi. With razor sharp teeth snapping at his heels, Kyle tried to block himself off from he beasts attack by dashing between the columns, a shorter route than the beast was forced to take. Finally the light from the cave’s mouth came shinning in to view. In one final force infused sprint Kyle sped to the cave’s entrance and there he stopped. He turned round once again, waiting for the beast to catch up, which it finally did. They stared at each other for a moment before the Krayt Dragon gave out another death curdling roar and began to charge. Kyle stood firm, unmoved by the ever nearing monstrosity. As the beast lowered its head to strike, Kyle made his move. Using the force he sprinted along the mouth of the cave, up the side and for a short moment across the ceiling. Meanwhile, the already lunging Krayt Dragon slammed its mouth in to a mound of dirt, unable to stop its momentum. Dropping down from the ceiling, Kyle landed square on the beasts head. He thrust his saber downward but it glanced off. Amazed, Kyle grabbed hold of one of the various horns as the Krayt Dragon flailed its head back and forth in the freedom of the open dessert. Kyle knew he had to end this, the beast had not been the source of the darkness he’d encountered and whatever was would be fast approaching. Bracing himself between the beast’s skull and a horn, Kyle struck again at a point near his original stab and this one penetrated. A great howl could be heard and the beast flailed even more violently than before. This only aided Kyle as it provided the momentum for him to reach a few more strategic positions around the skull, before the beast came crashing down in to the sands below with a great thud. Kyle rolled off of and away from the carcass as it came to rest between the dunes. With a hint of curiosity, he stepped forward to examine the spot were his lightsaber’s blade had failed to puncture. Using his saber he burnt away the surrounding flesh to uncover a shiny white pearl. As he examined it, a vague memory of an early teaching came back to him. He was rather certain this pearl could be used to augment a lightsaber and considering the scarcity of Krayt Dragons, he decided he’d make use of it. For all he knew he could have just killed the last of their kind but he doubted it, if the one he’d just faced had survived till now then perhaps others were still hiding beneath the sand. With the great beast laying slain before Kyle’s feet he was once again able to calm himself. In doing so he could once again sense the darkness, it confused him. He’d taken care of the force aberration and though the beast could have been tainted by the dark side, it was now gone. So why did he still feel a dark presence? Turning to his Jedi teachings he emptied his mind of questions, he let the force give him the answer he needed, instead of the one he searched for. Sure enough the answer became clear, the presence he felt now was different, it did not emanate from the surroundings nor seep through his thoughts. It was further away, back in the depths of the city. In a flash Kyle caught a glimpse of a vision which shocked him. For just a moment he could see Van being shocked by rolling arcs of lightning, he could feel his pain, but did not know if It was now, or in the future. One thing was certain, he needed to get back to Anchorhead. Episode I: The Hunted Jedi continues in the next post

The Legend of Terrek will continue with... Ep V -The Fabled Daughter Next in The Tales of Twisted Fate... The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep I - The Hunted Jedi More links to The Tales of Twisted Fate series can be found in the Chronology below... Feel free to post comments * = current project The Tales of Twisted Fate Chronology The Chronicle of Crystals Ep I-III (To Be Named) BTC 28-24 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep I A New Destiny BTC 24 The Origins of Hate Ep I A Dark Star Rises * BTC 16 The Rising of the Fox Ep I The Lone Wolf & The Sly Fox BTC 14 The Origins of Hate Ep II Raene Fall BTC 12 The Rising of the Fox Ep II The Shaddiest Corner of The Galaxy BTC 12 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep II In Darkness Raised BTC 12 The Rising of the Fox Ep III Safe Haven BTC 10 The Origins of Hate Ep III Lifting The Vale BTC 9 The Origins of Hate Ep IV Seeds of Vengeance BTC 8 The Rising of the Fox Ep IV Joining the Fight BTC 7 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep III Mandalorian Menace BTC 7 The Origins of Hate Ep V The Jaded Witch BTC 4 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep IV Temple Fall BTC 0 TREATY OF CORUSCANT The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep I The Hunted Jedi ATC 0 The Origins of Hate Ep VI Shadows of the Corruptor ATC 2 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep II Ilumination ATC 3 The Rising of the Fox Ep V The Cunning Fox ATC 3 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep III Night's Valor ATC 6 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep V The Fabled Daughter ATC 7 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep IV Defenders of The Republic ATC 10 Star Wars: The Old Republic The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep V (To Be Named) ATC 20 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep Vi The Great Deceiver ATC 20 The Rising of the Fox Ep Vi: The Fall of the Risen ATC 20 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep VI: Twisted Fate ATC 20 The Chronicle of Crystals Ep IV-Vi (To Be Named) BTC 28-24

Chapters 1-6 can be found in the previous post Chapter 7 – Operation In Progress Darius Ores stood with his back firmly placed against a support pillar in the middle of the senate building. The stealth field around his armour mesh worked perfectly. He’d managed to infiltrate the senate building and place his explosive probes around without being noticed. From the sound of the explosions, during the first seconds of the invasion, he assumed he wasn’t the only one who’d succeeded. He was a member of Imperial intelligence. A proud Chiss man with unquestionable loyalty to the empire, he worked as an agent of darkness. Joining the advancing Sith troops as they stormed the sabotaged building he was swept up in the chaos of the front lines. As a republic trooper ran past him, firing at the imperial troops down the hall, Darius lunged out from behind the pillar, catching the man by the neck and quickly stabbing him in the back. The trooper fell down, a small vibro-blade still stuck in his back. He bled out while waiting for the shot that would end it. Darius stood over the trooper, who lay bleeding on the floor. Across the hall he watched as two women ran down the halls of the building and stormed in to a side room. From the way they were dressed they couldn’t be imperial or republic troops, Darius thought before concluding there was a chance they could be diplomatic targets. He shot the helpless trooper; still writhing on the floor with a quick shot from his rifle and pursued the two women. He approached the door after weaving his way across the grand hall, covered in constant cross-fire. As the outer door to the room opens, a light flashes and a high distinct tone resonates through the doorway. So much for stealth Darius thought as the security measures at the door disabled his generator. He walked forward ready for anything as he approached the inner door. The door hadn’t half opened when a blaster bolt flew right by Darius’ face. He instinctively hugged the wall; slowly he edged forward and peeked round the corner in to the conference room. Immediately he noticed the broken window with a line hanging out in the back corner. He ran forward and cut the rope, but to no avail, his targets had already made it down. He watched the fleeing women run down the open walkway toward the starport as he pulled his rifle from his shoulder and took aim. Through the scope he could see that one was being dragged along by the other. The one being dragged he recognised. He had tried to probe her for information concerning the senate building before the assault. He smiled a wicked smile before firing a small dart at the poor girl. Korynn fell down as the dart’s effect slowly stole her consciousness. Kaiya felt her hand jerk as Korynn slowed and in her haste was pulled round. As she did, a blaster round hit her straight in the arm. Kaiya fell to the floor. She grabbed her emergency med. kit and pulled out a ready to go injection. She twisted the tube to prime before jabbing it in her arm, where she’d been shot. She looked over at Korynn, who was out cold. Kaiya slowly stood up as she watched her shooter climb out of the window they had escaped through and slide down on a fixed line. As the man dressed in black slowly approached, his rifle locked to his hip, she stepped forward. She raised her hands in surrender. Her pistol dangled loosely from her trigger finger, caught on the loop round the trigger. In an instant she whipped it back round and fired at their attacker. Darius rolled to the side, avoiding the incoming blaster fire, before activating his portable cover shield. The sneaky girl continued to fire at the energy wall he hid behind. As he pocked out to return fire the girl darted forward. His fire trailed her as she ran past his cover and slid down over the coarse floor of the walkway. She fired again and this time it hit him. It was nothing his mesh couldn’t handle, but he had to find cover again. Kaiya stumbled her way back to her feet. Her eyes were fixed on her assailant while he to stood up, trying to redeploy his energy field. She ran forward and caught him by surprise; she kicked him where it really hurts. then pushed the man to the floor. As he fell she noticed the rifle coming up just in time to avoid the wild shots. The two faced each other down in the middle of the street. Each blaster fixed at the other. Suddenly a barrage of fire streams past Darius, one clipping his face and burning through his armour. He screamed as he ducked while activating his energy field once again. He pulled off his tight black mask, revealing his face. An open wound ran down his cheek. As he turned back to face Kaiya he realised taking off his mask had been a big mistake. A small detonator bounced off the floor next to him before flashing in a blinding light. He knew he had to escape, the girl had proved more troublesome than she’d seemed. He’d have liked to stay to teach the girl a lesson but with the arrival of the man who’d grazed his face and his blinded state he had to retreat. He grounded a cable to the bridge and stood up. Before he could jump, or even see he felt a kick and fell screaming off the side of the walkway. “What took you so long?” Kaiya asked exhaustedly. Van walked over to her and helped her up. “Sorry hun, I was a little preoccupied with some company of my own.” He said with a smile. The he pulled a serious face and asked if she was ok. Kaiya nodded and looked over at Korynn, still lying unconscious. “Who’s the sleeping beauty?” Van asked jokingly. “Our job… looks like we’ve done well…again.” Kaiya responded sarcastically. Van walked over and threw the poor unconscious girl over his shoulder. They started walking back to the Rising Fox. Behind them the battle for the senate building continued. Around them the towers of Coruscant burnt. “We’ve got to hurry or some really nasty folk are gunna catch up to us.” Van said, a hint of panic in his voice. Chapter 8 – Memories In The Dark Lord Schythis grew impatient as the turbolift zoomed upward, trailing his former apprentice. He looked up to face Terrek. The boy had grown taller than him now and had a good athletic build. A thin, black goatee encircled his mouth and chin. The red tint of his Zeltron heritage had faded almost beyond notice. The only part of his apprentice he could still recognize where his unmistakable green eyes, the eyes which stared down at him now. Every time he saw them, he saw the eyes of Terrek’s mother, smiling as she died, thinking her son would be safe. His leg began to throb, the one that wasn’t really there anymore. He clutched the metal limb with his arm in a vain attempt to stop the psychological pain. His thoughts wondered back to the day Terrek betrayed him, the day he took his leg. He looked back up in hate at his former apprentice, but he was no longer there. Moments later his own turbolift docked near the top of the spires of the Jedi Temple. Slowly he stepped out with a slight lean to the right, putting his wait on his robotic limb. “You can not hide Terrek!” he said as the violet beam of his lightsaber sprung to life. “I sense your presence… The Jedi have made you weak, I can feel your anger…your hate…but you hide them.” Scythis taunts Terrek as he searches the shadows of the abandoned room. “The Jedi have fallen, the republic is doomed! Give in to your anger and join me! Maybe then I can save you, as I did brfore.” Scythis said, probing the Jedi for a reaction. Anything to fuel Terrek’s rage, to face the beast he had unleashed twelve years ago, one more time. “I’ll never join you Strago.” Terrek’s voice said, echoing throughout the room. Scythis stopped and turned to face down the long hallway he had just traversed. Shadows filled the space, broken only by flickering light coming in from the few unhindered windows. The light was a foul red, an invasion of flames that raged outside. A clean stream of daylight passed through a large window behind Scythis. “Then you will die! Maybe the inquisitors would prefer to take you alive.” Scythis grinned before he added “I know some who wouldn’t mind torturing you for what you did to them.” Terrek didn’t want to recall those times but the bond forged between master and apprentice over so many years is hard to resist, forcing one to share things, even things buried deep whithin. It was dark, cold, wet. Corse sand littered the floor on which Terrek lay collapsed. Scared, alone and crying he lay surrounded by other Sith acolytes. Slowly they crept closer to him, the new addition to their class, their new victim. Hours passed, Terrek couldn’t see them, but the other Sith acolytes had all slowly backed up against the walls of the large cell, gasping and yelling in fear of their delusions. Suddenly a fell light appeared, accompanied by the sound of a rusty door mechanism. A dark figure stood in the doorway and it took a moment for Terrek to adjust to the light, before he could make out the wide grinning face of his master starring at him in amazement. Terrek broke free of the reminiscent thoughts shared by their bond, unwilling to dwell further on that day. The first time he’d used his pheromones in conjunction with the force. “You showed me fear, hate…pain.” Terrek said, commenting on their shared memory with nostalgic disbelief. Scythis grinned, the same grin as in the memory. “But without that pain, that fear, you’d have never been forced to awaken your power, can’t you see it made you strong.” His former master said spitefully. “It is who you are Terrek, your very being influences those around it. You can’t stop it, so embrace it!” Scythis continued while Terrek stayed hiden, shaking his head, fighting another memory. The next words uttered by his former master however jumped his mind to someone he hadn’t thought about in a long time. “Wouldn’t you like to see Reane? She’s still alive. I wonder what will remain of her mind when they finally decide to wake her up.” As Scytis spoke, chills cascaded over Terrek’s body. For a moment the memory permiated him and he could again see the poor girl as she screamed in pain, her long blonde hair soaked in sweat. But Terrek refused to give in to the memories, willing himself back to the present once again. “do you remember Terrek!... the day you took my leg?!” Scythis’ voice belched out across the hall as he continued to provoke the Jedi. “Do you remember Dayton’s head, as it rolled by your feet? That’s who you were meant to be!” he said. “If only you had embraced your gift! If you’d only have broken that wretched girl…!” Scythis was cut off in mid sentence by the sudden appearance of a green lightsaber, flying toward him. Swinging across his body he blocked the incoming projectile. At the same moment waves of energy cascaded down the hallway. Scythis laughed wickedly for a moment as his robes fluttered as if in a heavy wind. The large window behind him shattered in a pulse of power and Scythis was sent hurtling through the gap. Chapter 9 – The Bond Between Brothers Vorren sped up his speeder-bike. Out in front of him the pureblood sith clashed blades with Kyle as they raced through the streets of Coruscant. The fight had started at the Jedi Temple and Vorren had followed them as the two men fiercely battled. Hesitant to shoot his own brother, he held back, hoping Kyle would lead him to his prey. He thought about the power his little brother had displayed, hurling the Sith away from him. In the spare moments Kyle had jumped on a speeder-bike parked outside and taken off, the Sith and Vorren had followed in pursuit. The speeder-bikes zoomed by at intense speeds, Vorren tried to catch up though he still wasn’t sure he could shoot his own brother. Kyle couldn’t break free, he was locked in combat with the sith and there was no way out. They both dodged traffic only to collide with each other once again. Kyle didn’t know where he was going but he knew he couldn’t keep this up for much longer. Ahead of him was a busy intersection, speeders flew back and forth continuously. Beyond it was a large landing terminal, most of the bays had been shut, but the few that still hung open presented Kyle with an opportunity. As they approached the intersection the traffic forced Kyle in to a weaving pattern once again. Suddenly Vorren fired, hitting the speeders as they were passed. One exploded just as Kyle slid by it. The sith took hold of the advantage, blasting forward. Kyle’s eyes went wide as he noticed the black figure on the speeder-bike, now ahead of him, he knew what was coming. The pureblood slowed his bike and sliced downward as Kyle passed. The front end of Kyle’s speeder-bike fell away before the entire craft started a downward tilt. Leaping from the doomed bike Kyle barely managed to cling to the roof of a swoop in the first row of traffic of the intersection. He jumped from swoop to swoop while Vorren and the Sith continued to fire at him, often catching the vehicle on which he stood. The sith swept round and sped back toward him from above. Vorren was still trying to get to the intersection when the pureblood leapt from his bike, down toward Kyle who stood at the front of the roof of a swoop on a lower level of traffic. In mid air the pureblood activated his lightsaber, held in both hands, ready to crash down upon the Jedi. Kyle watched the Sith as he sped toward him, centred on the force for guidance. Before the Sith reached him he leaped up high, aided by the force. His feet lifted above his head and he spun before the Sith could properly swing. Kyle, now upside down in mid air, continued his spin. The blue blade of his lightsaber sprang to life and cut straight through the Sith. The body fell in two pieces down the endless levels of Coruscant. Kyle barely caught hold of the back of a swoop as it sped by his freefalling body. He clambered to the roof and looked over at the passing hanger bays of the landing terminal. He was now in the closest lane and as his eyes caught hold of a ship in an upcoming hanger, he made up his mind. He focused himself as he jumped off the swoop and on to the ledge of the hanger bay. Before him a familiar ship sat alone in the hanger. “Kaiya…Van!” Kyle screamed before shots impacted around him from outside. Vorren had reached the intersection and, like a mad man, was weaving straight through the lanes and toward Kyle. As he closed in Kyle reached out in the force, suddenly the controls of Vorren’s bike wouldn’t work. He looked up as he sped forward. His trajectory was too low; the bike would impact on the wall below the hanger. He fiddled with the controls for his life, but to no avail. In a last act of desperation he activated his jet-pack sending him flying off of the bike before it rammed in to the wall. Vorren shot up trailed by the explosion of his speeder-bike. He landed safely on the hanger floor and approached his brother who stood before him, active saber in hand. “Why are you hunting me Vorren.” Kyle asked with determination. Vorren answered calmly as he continued to approach. “I’m not hunting you Kyle, I’m hunting…” “My master!” Kyle yelled in anger, finishing Vorren’s sentence for him. Vorren stopped his advance and shook his head slightly. “Your master? He’s the Jedi that murdered our father Kyle! Vorren spat back, disgusted at the notion that their father’s murderer had raised his brother as his own son. Both men stood in silence for a moment as the sounds of battle raged around them. “Terrek wasn’t a Jedi when he killed dad, Vorren, he was a Sith. You don’t understand. I didn’t understand until I felt it myself!” Kyle said, knowing he could never say enough to truly make Vorren understand. “What’s there to understand, who cares? He killed dad, I’m going to kill him.” Vorren said menacingly and with a conclusive tone. As he heard his brother say this, Kyle smiled slightly. He wasn’t happy, his face was filled with concerns and regrets. But he couldn’t help it, one side of his mouth raised as though to smile. Perhaps despite the gravity of the moment, or maybe because of it, he felt that a great question in his life had been lifted as he answered his brother. “Then I’ll be standing in your way.” He said, his eyes fixed on Vorren. Hearing his brother defend Terrek was the last draw; Vorren knew he’d lost his brother. From now on they would be brothers in name only, no family tie held them together anymore. The happy days of childhood on Coruscant had been washed away, deemed irrelevant by his baby brother. The Jedi had twisted him, turned them in to their pawns, Vorren thought. He cried, concealed under his helmet, as he backed away from his brother. The Jedi had taken everything from him, even while their temple burnt he thought. “Goodbye Kyle.” Vorren said before activating his jet-pack and flying through a doorway to make his escape. Kyle watched as his brother left the room, then hurried aboard the Rising Fox. “Kaiya! Van!” He yelled as he made his way in to the ship. Chapter 10 – Heavy Rain Five small republic dropships raced past the smoke of the burning buildings on Coruscant. Flanked by a heavy fighter escort, starfighters of both factions exploded in heaps of flames across the sky as the dropships soared toward their targets. Damon Rann sits patiently aboard one of the dropships, reading the latest Holo-novel he’d acquired. He was tall and well built. Despite the short stubbly blond hair and the thick armour plates of his Republic battle suit he held a gentle expression. On the battle field he wasn’t gentle at all, he was fierce and unforgiving, but he’d found a way to separate himself from that when he wasn’t working. Some guys in his unit thought it was creepy, how a jolly nice guy like him could turn in to the cool ruthless machine they worked with in the field. Suddenly a voice burst over the com channel. “1 minute to target” it said quickly, the voice garbled by the effects of a flight mask. “Get ready for a hot drop you guys!” The pilot of the dropship yelled as he turned his head to face down through the craft from his cockpit. Damon had just put away his novel and started prepping his riffle, when a nearby explosion shook the entire ship. One of the privates on board, a young rodian, tripped as the ship trembled. The others laughed at him as he clambered his way back to his feet. As the rodian stood up the same voice as before came over the com. channel. “Gold five is down, repeat, Gold five is down.” It reported, now panicked. Sarge, a large man with an unkempt moustache and a grey crew cut, turned to Damon. “Corporal the Lt. was on that ship.” He said. The countdown to drop started before Sarge could say anything else, but Damon knew enough, Sarge had command. Damon grabbed hold of the lever to unlatch the door for their drop as the pilot counted down the last seconds. “10…9…8…7…” Imperial troops poured out of various buildings and access ways on to the bridged causeways, on their way to swarm the senate building. On one side, republic defence teams held off the advance of the original assault force, but only barely. With the carnage on that bridge and the chaos inside the building, caused by advanced imperial infiltration units, republic units guarding the opposite causeway had been forced to leave their posts and join the fight inside. Only recently had the imperial forces started coming down the second access bridge. Two figures, who’d till recently been running from the carnage of the senate building, apposed the second stream of imperial troops. Crouched behind walls of debris, for cover, the figures fired at the incoming troopers while a meagre bunch of republic soldiers ran to assist them from the senate building. The fire fight ensued, Van stood tall, continuously firing both his pistols at the advancing imperial forces that threatened to overrun them. Got to hold on, he thought. Kaiya was behind him, treating wounded Republic troopers that could still rejoin the fight. He couldn’t keep this up much longer, much less make it past the incoming hostiles and back to the Fox. He didn’t know how he’d get out of this, how he’d get Kaiya out, but it didn’t matter. As he ducked for cover behind a large pile of debris, caused by the battle, four small republic dropships flew around the corner and began to pound in to the enemies, flooding the bridge in laser-fire. Kaiya looked up from the trooper she was bandaging as the loaded dropships flew overhead. One by one they hovered over the bridge; troops dropped lines from inside the ships and proceeded to slide down them in haste. As the troops landed and joined the fight to hold the bridge, Kaiya returned to fixing the wounded trooper’s bandage. Damon rushed forward as soon as his feet touched the bridged causeway. Sarge and Doc streamed cover fire past him, mowing down imperial troops who couldn’t find cover on the, fairly open, walkway. The troopers that had been aboard Gold 1 were mixed in with the original troops holding the bridge in front of him, while Damon and the rest of the unit made their way to fall in behind them. Many more men, from both sides, joined the heap of bodies that lay sprawled across the bridge. Doc, still in the rear, alternated between providing cover fire for the advancing units and providing aid to wounded troopers. Damon approached the front line, moving fast and firing at the sea of attackers. His head fixed behind the sight, he jerked it in quick, steady movements, blasting the most advanced enemy troops. In a split second he made out a rocket launcher, priming to fire and aimed straight at him. As the explosive projectile menacingly howled in at him he jumped forward in to a roll, landing behind a barricade formed by a twisted and broken piece of the walkway’s surface. The rocket shot over the makeshift wall by only an inch or two. Damon followed its trail as it swept by. He watched in horror as the rocket smashed straight into Gold 4 and exploded. The small dropship crashed with a violent intensity on to the bridge, obstructing the way past, but also crushing the troopers still beneath it as they ran in terror. As he sat there, back against the makeshift cover, two imperial troops climbed over the debris and proceeded past him. They took no notice of him until it was too late, he shot them both in the back. He stood up, knowing more would be approaching. He was right, as he popped from cover he found a pureblood sith man, their faces were only inches apart. Both men were shocked at first but Damon got the upper hand. He smacked the Sith in the face with the butt of his rifle, the man was forced to stumble to the side from the force of the blow and lost his footing. The pureblood sith’s leg fell over the side of the bridge first as it clambered to find footing, but all it found was air and the rest of the Sith’s body went tumbling after it down the endless levels of Coruscant. This first proper Sith, not just imperial trooper, that he’d taken out. “Nice one.” Van said laughing as he pocked his head out from behind his own cover, across the width of the bridge. Damon had not even noticed him before then, he wondered who the rugged looking man was for a moment before joining Van in holding off the flood of imperial soldiers barring down on them. Two young Jedi barged out of the Senate building, heading for the action. They ran across the bridge with blinding speed, slicing through the imperials they passed. Damon ducked down behind his cover as one approached and leaped over the barricade of rubble. A moment later the distinctive hissing shot of a sniper rifle went off. Before Damon could stand to cover the Jedi, he already lay on his back. A blaster wound entered from the shoulder and left near the Jedi’s hip, he’d been shot from up high. “Sniper! ...up high!” Damon yelled as he watched the robed man die on the floor, before covering the back of the second younger Jedi. As the young Jedi caught up, he burst forward, cutting through imperial lines. Darius Ores sat quietly, his scope trained on the young Jedi. He couldn’t afford to miss, not now the troopers knew a sniper was there. With a quick flick of his finger the rifle went off. A beam shot out of the high window, from which he watched the carnage of the battle, and passed straight through the young Jedi’s skull. Darius smiled, killing two Jedi had made the ordeal of surviving his fall almost worth it. After being knocked of the side by Kaiya during their tussle earlier he figured he was doomed. Somehow he’d managed to clamber his way back up the line he’d only barely secured and shimmied his way over to a side from which he could enter the nearby space port building through a small window. Now it was pay back time he thought as he looked over and caught a glimpse of Van. He shifted his rifle to fire. Suddenly Damon caught sight of the sniper, his rifle had shifted and now he knew where he was. Damon unloaded at the window and the shots cascaded all around Darius, who in his panic fired back at the incoming blasts and ducked down in retreat. The shot had hit, Damon laid back, a bleeding wound on his left shoulder. “You Hutt butt!” He cursed at the unknown sniper as he locked his rifle under his arm. He loaded the incendiary round and fired. The explosive shell rammed in to the window in a great burst of flame. Darius, still hunched with his back to the wall was sent flying across the room. Debris from the window covered and pierced him, though he wasn’t mortally wounded, he wasin a lot of pain. He reached to activate his com device. “Orbital bombardment, heavy rain…danger close.” He said panting in to the speaker as he continued to lose blood. Kaiya raced forward and ducked behind the same cover as Damon. Once there she started treating his shoulder wound, using the last of her med supplies. “Hi…” Damon said, smiling as he looked up at her, his head resting on her lap. “Stop smiling or I’ll move on to someone else.” Kaiya snapped back at him not really serious. She mainly didn’t want the soldier forgetting where they were. The moment the comment had left her mouth though two enemy troopers passed by the corner of their cover. Damon immediately fired catching both in the maelstrom of blaster bolts he desperately tried to steady with one hand. Van let out a grunt of irritation, their cause was hopeless. They’d been pinned down on the bridge for ages and hadn’t moved forward one bit. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a starship as it flew round the corner of the building ahead, far removed from the bridge. It was flying just low of the bridge and heading straight for it when Van noticed it was his ship, The Rising Fox. “What the, that’s my ship!” he said, utterly baffled. As it sped up toward them he looked out across the bridge. “Kaiya!” he yelled followed by a beckoning glance at the ship that approached them from behind him. Lifting Korynn in to his arms Van ran across the bridge. The cross fire zoomed by from both directions as he ran straight through it. “You’ve got to be kidding.” Kaiya said stunned, as she saw the Fox and realised Van’s plan. The Fox passed under the bridge. As it did Kaiya grabbed hold of Damon and pulled him with her as they rolled off the side of the bridge. With a large thud they landed on the top of The Fox, wedged between bits of the superstructure. Van landed with a loud clamber behind them on his butt, near the back of the craft. Korynn , still unconscious, lay heaped on his lap as the Fox sped away from the bridge. Moments later orbiting Sith cruisers fired upon the bridged walkway, annihilating it completely. Chapter 11 – Infernal Rage Terrek slowly stepped out from the shadows. His face expressed concern as he lingered in front of the now broken window. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to calm his mind. His former master, Strago, knew him all too well. Terrek knew that if he did not end this quickly, his old master would continue to poke and prod at his emotions. His own thoughts would betray him and, if he wasn’t careful, lead him down a path he’d struggled his whole life to bury. “Terrek!” His masters voice resounded from outside, carried by the sound of the rushing wind. It was time Terrek thought, before leaping up, through the broken window and on to the roof. His robes fluttered violently in the wind as he soared down from the window, landing on the angled roof of the temple tower. Strago, stood before him, his lightsaber active in hand. They stared each other down as they stood on the convex surface that sat upon the peak of the Jedi Temple. The vast open area surrounding the temple allowed them a view of the chaos that engulfed the city planet. Smoke rose from all directions, fires burned in buildings while forces continued to clash…everywhere. From the top of the Jedi Temple it seemed as though they stood apart from the destruction, fixed solely on their own present moment and awaiting their destiny. “You’ve grown strong in the force, my old apprentice. I can not help wonder what power you would hold now, if you had embraced the dark side, if you had accepted the true nature of the force!” Scythis said, breaking the cold silence between them. He sounded angry, yet there was a sincere sense that he believed what he was saying. He seemed to revel at the presence of his former student, basking in a pride he’d not felt in a long time. A cold shiver ran down Terrek’s spine as the bond between them, forged over their years together, linked their thoughts in reminiscence of the past. The years they’d spent as master and apprentice in the very temple that burned beneath them. He remembered being confused and frightened the day his master left the Order, the day he’d been discovered. He wondered why his master had taken him then, it was only when they’d returned to the Sith, when he’d been scared for his life, that the power of his pheromones flourished. Maybe his old master had known his potential in that respect, even before Terrek. He wondered how his life would have been if they’d never left the Jedi, if his master hadn’t been a traitor. Would that power have still developed, would he still be cursed to hold back, hold in all he could so he wouldn’t hurt someone as he had before, like he’d hurt Raene. As the name rung through his head he stopped, trying to clear his mind. But it was too late, the thought was clear and their bond was strong. “You naturally project your emotions upon others Terrek, do you really believe you can hide anything from me?” Scythis said laughing. “Look at you. The planet is lost, your temple burns and you’re using half your strength to hold back who you truly are. Let go, give in to your feelings.” He continued. Suddenly Terrek broke his silence. “That’s not who I am! It’s what you made me!” He screamed, simultaneously igniting one end of the lightsaber he held in his left hand. Scythis’ wide grin returned as he looked at the blade in Terrek’s left hand. “Finally, you intend to face me.” He said as he lifted his own saber up before him. Simultaneously they swept their blades to the side, in recognition of their opponent, before charging at each other, once again, in a dazzling display of combat. They fought their way up to the top of the convex roof, furthest away from the rising flames and the flattest most stable footed area. Both combatants continuously struggled to keep themselves from sliding down the roof and off the side, to plummet to their deaths, while viciously hacking at each other. As the cascade of blows continued back and forth they were forced apart. Both blades stretched forward at each other, their tips barely crossing. Darth Scythis held his blade firmly in both hands, his arms slightly bent, ready to jab steadily forward. Conversely Terrek held his green, double-bladed lightsaber in his left hand with only one side active. His wrist loos, the tip of the green blade danced. Always pointed at Scythis, but never steady, never still. Suddenly Scythis jabbed forward and with that the battle had recommenced. Terrek relied more on his speed and agility, redirecting Scythis’ blade and dodging the rest of its trajectory, before countering with a succession of quick stabs. Some hit, but the strength of his master’s armour repelled the blade. Suddenly the mechanical leg of Scythis lifted and kicked Terrek right in the chest, sending him sprawling backward. As he slid to a halt on his back he saw Scythis crashing down upon him from the air above. In the nick of time Terrek managed to activate and twirl both ends of his weapon round directly above him. As the blades spun they caught the violet lightsaber of his opponent only inches from impaling his face as he lay there. Around them pieces of the convex roof started to cave in. The flames billowed out from the rooms below. It was obvious the structure would not stand much longer. Terrek tried to sweep his opponents legs and get to his feet but caught the metallic leg of his former master. He screamed briefly in pain while Scythis prepared to strike him down once more. Terrek reached out to in the force to a caved in section of the roof nearby, taking hold of a large support beam he pulled it toward him with the force. The pillar shook as it felt the pull from the force, as Scythis’ blade began to fall it burst loose from its fitting and came howling in at him. As it smashed in to Scythis he screamed, Terrek scrambled to his feet hoping that the battle was over. As he peered out at the giant support beam, still tumbling and crashing down the side of the roof he knew it wasn’t. Suddenly the Beam stopped, first it stopped rolling and finally it stopped sliding. Then in one grand display, it lifted of the roof. The Beam flew over Scythis, who stood there with hand outstretched, guiding it in the force, before it was let go and fell back toward the roof, smashing a large area on the rim before tumbling off the side. Terrek simply stared at his former master as Scythis slowly walked back up the steep gradient of the roof, which was more and more being consumed by flames. “You remember Raene don’t you Terrek? Of course you do, you were just thinking about her. As I remember you were good ‘friends’ when you where still a sith.” Scythis mocked. “Until you forced me to destroy her mind.” Terrek hastily replied, his voice sombre. “As I recall all we did was lock you in a room together.” Was the sith lord’s response followed by an evil laugh. “You locked us up and tortured me…for days. All to see how my pheromones would effect her, how the force would make me, in my anger and pain, lash out at everything around.” Terrek’s eyes glistened in the fire as they began to tear. “And what we beheld was magnificent. Fear, pain, pleasure, hate, sorrow, by the end of it she could not feel any emotion you did not feed her with. Complete corruption.” Scythis said as he started to get close to Terrek again. “And you call that magnificent, to never know what someone truly feels, to not know if you’re the cause of what they say, what they feel.” Terrek spat back, disgusted by the notions of Scythis. “Oh yes she felt quite abandoned when you left. She was after all so dependent.” Scythis said, prodding at Terrek’s feelings. “What did you do to her?” Terrek said, almost afraid to even ask. “I trained her of course. Once I’ve killed you… perhaps there will be another who feels abandoned.” He said, that evil grin returning to his face. “Perhaps Kaiya will find solice in my teachings!” he yelled out, a threatening tone to his voice. “Noooooo!” Terrek screamed before the sentence had even left Scythis’ mouth. He charged forward, striking wildly at his opponent, intent on killing him. His emotions swelled, anger had gotten the best of him for a moment and it had cost him. As Terrek’s two blades flail back and forth in to his opponent’s violet blade, Scythis dodges and bringing his blade up severs Terrek’s right hand. Terrek falls to a knee grasping the hilt of his saber tight in response to the pain. He looks up to see Scythis standing before him. \sparks of lightning begin to rain, with increasing strength, from the sith lords hands as he holds them, fingers stretched out, before him. Terrek, in the brief moment he had, stretched out his hand, holding back the incoming strikes of lightning as they began cascading from Scythis’ finger tips. He held on for a moment, the power of the force building in the palm of his hand, but he was too tired to hold it out. The remaining sparks enveloped him, jolting him back and forth as each hit. In one last effort Scythis pushed his former student away. As the force smashed in to Terrek he was sent tumbling down the roof, toward the rim. Helplessly Terrek reached around him with his left hand, searching for something to grasp hold of. As he approached the edge of the roof he caught sight of a cable, it was his last hope. He grasped at it even as his legs went flying over the edge. There he hung, dangling by one hand off the top of the Jedi Temple. Terrek could barely see above the rim of the roof from which he dangled. He’d lost any hope of surviving this ordeal, but his thoughts went out to Kaiya, he hoped she’d be safe. Chapter 12 – The Bonds of Love Aboard the Rising Fox, Kyle and Van were manoeuvring through the chaos of the skies of Coruscant. All around them starfighters clashed with reinforcements of both factions hidden behind any corner. Korynn Mothma sat in the corner of the medical bay sipping a drink given to her by Kaiya, a warm blanket pulled over her shoulders. The trooper, Damon Rann lay sprawled on the medical table, his shirt off, while Kaiya treated his wounds. Suddenly Kaiya felt something. She didn’t know what it was, at first it scared her, but soon it was clear as day. She heard Terrek’s voice calling her name clear as day, but somehow she knew it was in her head. She raced to the bridge, clambering against the sides of the ship as it rocked under fire. “Kyle! Turn around.” She screamed as she made her way in to the hectic cockpit. “Are you out of your mind!” Van spat out. While Kyle gave an equally squabbled “What!” “I know where Terrek is, now turn around.” She said abruptly. Moments later the ship banked and, while dodging heavy enemy fire reversed its course, shooting of toward the Jedi Temple. Scythis approached Terrek as he dangled off the edge of the burning roof. “You disappoint me Terrek. Even when enraged you hold back…Wouldn’t you’re Jedi Masters be proud.” He said in a demeaning tone as he stood over Terrek, his life in Scythis’ hands. Terrek’s mind wandered briefly back to his time with Crystala, his Jedi master. “Terrek no power by nature is evil or good. Even intentions can be misleading; it’s why we Jedi focus on the force, to see what its will is and act accordingly. We all influence each other Terrek, it’s the nature of the impression we leave on people that matters, not how strong it is.” The lesson from Master Vale rung as clearly in his ears then as it had years ago, when she’d actually spoke them. “You marvelled at this curse you laid upon me master? Then perhaps you should experience it yourself!” Terrek yelled up at the man standing over him. For the first time in six years he let go, allowing his presence in the force to flow out and invade all that was around. Scythis began to sweat; the fires around him seemed to stretch past the sky. He was scared, but he didn’t know why. Suddenly the ghost of Terrek’s mother appeared, stepping from the flames in the gapping holes in the failing roof. Another appeared, one from every pit and flame. Scythis started to breath heavily, before he felt he couldn’t breath. His wrist on his right arm began to burn intensely. Dizziness took him and he fell to his knees panting, out of breath from nothing. He was scared, in pain and alone, he knew he was going crazy, but it was too late. More delusions appeared, visions of Scythis burning alive. Panic set hold and the mind of the Sith Lord was lost, invaded by the vary power he had forced upon his former student. Terrek watched as the flames began engulfing the real Scythis, who had already been screaming in his lunacy. Terrek’s grip was failing, he stared at the twisted metal he clung to as his fingers finally slipped loos. “There!” Kaiya screamed, as they watched Terrek begin to fall, from aboard the Rising Fox. They were just close enough to swoop in after him. As they pulled in under him Van opened the top hatch and came out, catching the falling Jedi but forcing them both to stumble and fall down the access hatch. As the hatch closed the Fox pulled back up, away from the surface in retreat. As they blasted off, behind them the roof of the Jedi Temple burnt, buckled and collapsed, consuming Darth Scythis. One day they’d make The Empire pay for what they’d done to Coruscant.

Star Wars The Old Republic: The Tales of Twisted Fate The Legend of Terrek Corso, Episode IV – Temple Fall (BTC 0) Chapter 1 – Bad Dreams Kyle sat across from the coffin, baring his master, aboard the small transport. His face was pale and empty as his mind had not yet left the past. He continued to think back to the moment he saw the stream of red energy surge through his master’s chest as he cowered behind him. He was too young to be of any help, there was nothing he could have done. The transport docked at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and Kyle followed his master’s ceremonial coffin as republic officers led it into the building. Suddenly he felt like he was being watched, not just watched but studied. Someone was reading his emotions, his memory…everything. Kyle had felt it before, from the council when he was first approved for Jedi training. He looked up, following the presence in the force. There he met the gaze of a green eyed man, standing on the balcony above. He didn’t know why, but for the first time in a long time Kyle thought of his brother Vorren. Kyle woke up in a sweat. The thoughts of his brother had led his dreams into a vision he did not understand. Future, past, present… he wasn’t sure. He sat up in his bed, as his feet touched the cold floor of his room in the Jedi Temple he smiled. It felt weird sleeping in a building again he thought. For the past eight years he’d been cruising around the galaxy with his master, Terrek Corso, after his first master had died in a Sith attack. But that changed this day, the first day of his final trials. He allowed himself a glimmer of pride, one of those emotions Jedi weren’t supposed to have, as he stood up to get dressed. He took a blue shirt and a durable pair of khaki trousers from his personal lockbox. Picking up his tall brown boots and chucking his jacket, a brown leather double breasted flight jacket, over his shoulder he walked over to his desk. After turning on the Holo-news he finished getting dressed, listening to the morning report. Despite that the galaxy is engulfed in war there’s nothing worth reporting today Kyle thought, a little frustrated at the program, before throwing on his flight jacket and leaving the room. Most mistook him for a common, disreputable, pilot on the streets, unless he was forced to draw his lightsaber. He made his way through the grand halls of the Temple while the sun still hung low in the morning sky. The halls where almost empty that early in the morning, even more so with the delegation heading to Alderaan to negotiate with the Sith. He found the notion almost ridiculous as he pondered galactic events in his mind on his way up various levels of the compound and down the grand halls to his master’s courters. Kyle entered the room to find his master meditating on the balcony outside. As Kyle neared he became more and more aware of the vapour rising from the bowl in front of his master. He could feel it slowly affect his senses, almost enforcing a calm state upon him. Suddenly another vision flashes before him. His master, still a child, charged into an armed gunman. Deflecting incoming fire the young Terrek, still a Sith, strikes in a rage. The gunman’s head rolls to the floor. As sudden as it began the vision ended and as it did Kyle knew he’d seen a part of his master’s past. “That was your father…Kyle.” His master said sorrowfully, breaking the morning’s silence. Kyle’s mind raced back seven years, to the day they escaped the Mandalorian blockade. It had been then that his master had told him the truth about his father, the whole truth. Before then master Corso had always told him Dayton had died saving him from the Sith. Kyle had been furious with his master for keeping the truth from him until that day, having seen the memory now though; he understood that his master was right. What he’d told Kyle was true… from a certain point of view. Terrek broke his meditation and turned to his apprentice. He had not meant for Kyle to see that, his student’s reaction however had reassured him that Kyle was in control of his emotions, that he had beaten that particular path to the dark side. Though he worried that Kyle would never truly be free of it. “I have something for you.” Terrek said as he walked back into his room and pulled out a small dusty box. He opened it and pulled out a beautifully crafted and personally modified blaster pistol. “This was your father’s. I had the barrel repaired.” He said as he handed it over to Kyle, who thoroughly inspected the weapon, he’d always loved mechanical things and his expertise had saved them more than once in the past. “I’m proud of you Kyle, congratulations.” Said Terrek, as he thought back on their years as master and pupil and realised that his tag along youngling had grown into a Jedi Knight. It stung him a little that his pupil had not joined the order of consulars but knew that Kyle would become a legend of his own, a true guardian of the republic. [Chapter 2 – An Honest Job? Kaiya made her way down the causeway leading from the flight terminal to the senate building on Curoscant. “Van, why is it I always have to do the tedious jobs?” She said teasingly over her comlink. “Let’s just say you look more… diplomatic.” An older man’s voice retorted over the comlink. “Look more civilised is what you mean.” Kaiya says under her breath and without activating the comlink as she walks into the senate building. “I heard that!” Van’s voice said suddenly over the channel, assuming she’d made a remark about him. “No you didn’t scruffy.” Kaiya remarked nonchalant, removing her earpiece in preparation for the security checks. The security systems of the senate building on Coruscant were of the best quality money could buy in the galaxy. Fortunately she wouldn’t need to fool them that day. That day they were on official senate business, and she had an appointment. She almost laughed as she cleared security and made her way to a protocol droid, waiting to assist visitors. “Starfire, I have an appointment with Korynn Mothma.” The protocol droid, familiar with human speech behaviour, took a moment to consider the statement as the question it was intended to be. Then responded, “You’re meeting has been approved and will be held in conference room 32-E. My colleague will arrive to escort you there shortly. Feel free to express any further queries or requests you may have to him. Enjoy your stay, ma’am.” The droid said. Moments later another droid, of the same make, entered the room and began escorting her to the conference room. Amazing, Kaiya thought as she made her way in to the building, she had gotten more manners out of that bucket of bolts than anyone she’d seen in a long time. Manners weren’t one of those qualities people respected very well in the outer-rim. Out there business ethics were your life, but manners would get you killed. Probably the reason why Van had insisted she go to meet the diplomat. Because even though she’d been away from her family too long to really remember her high society life, her understanding of customs would always be far superior to Van’s. She wasn’t sure if he had even seen a noble before her father had hired him twelve years ago. She thought back to the day on Nar Shaddaa, when she had first met Terrek, the boy who saved her. In turn she had saved him from darkness, or so Terrek said. She didn’t understand the Force really, or the gravity of what he meant. She thought back to how she held the unconscious boy in her arms, the corpses of three men surrounding them. She remembered sobbing in the silence of the dark hanger. It was then that Van had found them, saved them, and took them home. I didn’t save you Terrek… Van did. All I did was cry. With that thought she was forced back to the present as the escort droid stopped in front of the door marked 32-E. “Here we are ma’am. There is a final security protocol through this door. I am required to remain here, please enquire if you need any further assistance. May your discussions be of a fruitful nature ma’am.” said the droid. Kaiya smiled and walked through the door. Chapter 3 – Suspicious Contact The hanger bay was large. Droids scurried about the floor working on the battered Starship that lay docked there. Maintenance crews and personnel flowed to and fro past the door leading into the docking facility. A lone figure stood next to the ship, watching the droids work. The brown leather hat he wore masked him from above, while his long brown coat hid the numerous surprises he never liked to leave home without. Despite this his blaster pistols were clearly visible, hanging in their respective holsters, strapped to each leg. Van Starwind had been his own law all his life. He’d grown up on Tatooine and like any kid there, he learned to take care of himself. Not only that but he’d picked up a few tricks of the trade in his years of dealing with the scum there. “Hey! No, I like it that way.” Van screamed at a maintenance droid as it worked on his ship, The Rising Fox. As the droid tried to restore the original lay out of the circuitry and wiring, Van belched out orders irritatingly. “No that one goes there… and that one goes there!” He yelled, simultaneously pointing at the intricate workings of the ship. The poor little maintenance droid, with its gears in overdrive, hurriedly continued the work to the best of its ability. “…Actually, the yellow one used to coil around the thick blue one.” Van said, calmer than before. The droid stopped working. Then turned its disc shape head unit toward him, the little black eye shifted up to meet his gaze in one quick movement. The droid stared as if to say, you’ve got to be kidding. Van smiled at the droid before his comlink beeped. As he walked away and into the Fox, speaking into his comlink, the droid vividly shook its head as it returned to work. “Thea Barakis. I haven’t seen you since you ditched me in that god forsaken asteroid field.” Van said as he inspected the blue projection of a Twi’lek woman, dressed in close fitting black combat overalls. He could just barely make out the purple hue to her skin through the luminous blue of the projection. “Van shut up and listen! I’m risking my neck here just talking to you. Get off Coruscant, now!” The transmission abruptly ended and Van looked up with a troubled look on his face. He didn’t know what Thea was up to, he knew he couldn’t trust her, but he was getting a bad feeling in his gut. As he made his way back off of the Rising Fox the sound of explosions rung out across the city. Not good Van thought as he quickened his pace, he had to get to Kaiya before whatever bad news that was happening really exploded. Chapter 4 – A Fated Reunion Smoke rose from the Jedi Temple as the orbital bombardment continued across the planet. Imperial insurgents appeared across the city, aiding the landing forces as they stormed the giant buildings of Coruscant. When the fighting had erupted Terrek ran to catch a turbo lift. Kyle had already left to meet with a local man, looking for some Jedi assistance, in the temple gardens. He could feel the chaos of the battle erupting below and concern for his pupil had compelled him to make haste. It hadn’t mattered though, Imperial insurgents had infiltrated the entire building and he’d already had to fight his way to the lifts. The subtlety and ferocity of the battle had made him all but forget about the presence he’d felt lingering nearby all morning. But as he slew the last of the insurgents, blocking access to the remaining levels, the presence came too close to overlook. A metallic thud rung out to a beat from around the corner as the dark shadow of an approaching figure grew larger on the wall across from him. Terrek looked stunned as the tall dark figure of his former master, Valentin Strago, stepped forward. Though he had felt whose presence it was, he had not expected his master to look so different. A robotic leg stood in the place of the one Terrek had relieved him of when they had last parted ways. Various other robotic implants covered pieces of his body and face, probably more punishment from his masters than injuries of battle. His black hair had grown wild as a storm but his eyes, there Terrek could still see his master. Those murderous yellow eyes stared deep in to Terrek’s own as they had done so many times before. “I can’t tell you how great it felt to sense your presence when we arrived Terrek. I’ve waited a long time to teach you… a final lesson.” His master said, his voice slightly augmented by his mechanical infrastructure. “There is nothing I can learn from you but fear and pain Valentin.” Said Terrek as his former master ignited his blade, striding slowly toward Terrek. “I am Darth Scythis now. And you misunderstand Terrek, I mean… to teach you… to Die!” As the hate filled words left his mouth he swung at his former apprentice. Terrek in return willed his saber to his hands and, igniting it, blocked the incoming attack. The two blades clashed as Scythis whaled upon his adversary and forced Terrek to ignite the other side of his double-bladed lightsaber in defence. He had begun crafting it after Master Vale’s death, an exact replica of her lightsaber. The blades were a vibrant green, a silver shaft with a vine pattern ran along the length of the hilt. No button was visible, placed on the inside, to activate it one had to use the force. The two men fought their destined battle while the one raging below them slowly crept its way up the levels of the temple. Those who came in contact with the two, both republic and imperial alike, suffered quick fates, neither combatant willing to give the other an edge or enough time to strike. As the battle dragged on Terrek sensed the advancing Imperial forces, he could stay there no longer he thought, he had to bide some time. He drew Scythis back to where the fight had begun. Avoiding a low swooping blade, Terrek jumped high, reverse somersaulting in mid air and landed on top of a turbo lift. As he regained his balance, Scythis’ violet blade came spinning in directly for him. Terrek leapt to the side and on to another turbo lift. The incoming lightsaber flew by and sliced threw the cables holding the turbo lift, sending it plummeting downward. Quickly Terrek reached out in the force and activated the turbo lift he was now on top of, sending it shooting upward. Scythis calmly strode, his metallic leg thudding with every step, to the third and final turbo lift. He entered in pursuit of his former apprentice. Imperial troops flooded the hallways as he too went shooting further up, to the peak of the Jedi Temple. Chapter 5 – Chaos Erupts Kyle contemplated the morning’s events as he walked through the gardens, on his way to meet the tentative informant. His mind raced with every pace, the visions had come so abruptly, in flashes, and they confused him more than anything. He considered what he did know of the visions. He had felt his brother’s presence distinctly, a bloodthirsty vengeance boiled off of him. He felt pain, hate and death…lots of death. Was he sensing the incident seven years ago, was his brother in trouble now, or was he sensing the future? It didn’t matter, he told himself, after the Mandalorian incident Kyle had found the true sense in the Jedi’s policy to abandon family ties. It seemed harsh to many, Kyle included, until he had seen what his brother had become. A man that hunted down and killed people for a living, scum. He wondered if these visions would continue, if this would be his life as a Jedi Knight. He found courage as he remembered why he was walking alone to meet a contact. He was finally going to be a Jedi and he’d make his master proud, even if he’s not supposed to be. As he entered an annex of the gardens he caught sight of a man, fitting the informant’s description. Before the man could reach him, the Temple shook. Explosions resounded all around as skirmishes erupted across the palace. A large explosion knocked Kyle from his feet and he watched as the informant was smashed by falling pieces of debris. Kyle composed himself and drew his lightsaber. The blue blade snapped to life, he could feel the darkness enveloping the temple, no…the planet. Suddenly he was forced back to the present as an advanced Imperial unit burst down through the high ceiling and landed in force. Kyle batted away incoming blaster fire from imperial droids and troops as one of the numerous Sith ran in to engage him. Before long he was swept up in the mayhem, just one more Jedi fighting in a crowd of dancing luminous blades. His opponent never constant, though it was hard to tell, most wore black armour or robes and black masks with red markings. Before long he found himself wondering how many Jedi were left, from those who’d been there when the attack commenced. Reinforcements from both sides seemed to stream in from every entry in the complex. They’d have to pull back soon, he thought, noting the overwhelming number of Imperials and Sith still charging in from other parts of the Jedi Temple. By now they’ll have invaded the entire complex, he thought, as he stabbed a Sith warrior straight through his back, A dirty move, but it saved a Jedi’s life. The older Jedi on the floor said thanks before leaping up and charging in to the fray once again. Kyle knew they had to get out; he’d be more help in a fighter anyway. Maybe he could even do something about the bombardment. One thing was certain… the Temple had fallen. He parried away the blades of nearby opponents, making a bit of room for himself, before leaping up to the next level via a large broken pillar. A nearby imperial trooper, who had been firing at the mayhem below, turned to face him. But the trooper fired wild, hitting the wall, as Kyle forces his body over the railing with a swift tug of the force. The trooper plummeted to the level below. Two more troopers advanced, simultaneously firing. They quickly fell as their own shots came crashing back in to them. A disturbance compelled Kyle to jump forward, just before a rocket impacted the wall where he had stood. Turning to face the balcony across, he could make out another incoming rocket just in time to repel it using the force. The rocket spun wildly before crashing back in to the balcony from where it came. He made haste as he battled his way through advancing imperial parties and deadlocked battles between the factions. The fighting lessened as he neared the exterior corridors, it had moved past there. Dead bodies littered the floor and weapons lay scattered about. In the room before him he could see an ominous red glow, accompanied by a low hum. “He’s not the one, Corso has reddish skin, not pink. And his eyes are…well, greener.” A voice masked by a helmet said from inside the room. Kyle slowly advanced full of determination. His arms were tired from the hours of fighting. He didn’t know how many Sith he’d killed, how many Jedi he’d seen fall, but he wasn’t done. As he turned the corner to face whomever was in the room, the vile hiss of a lightsaber cutting through flesh resounded about as they ran through whatever poor Jedi they’d mistaken for his master. The three figures had their back to him. One was fully clad in armour another had a woman’s figure, her face masked. The third was a tall pureblood Sith man, his lightsaber still lingered in the dead Jedi’s chest. Kyle flung his lightsaber at the armoured man, hoping to catch the group off guard, but the Pureblood sensed the danger, saving the other man from being split in half. “I’m sorry my master is a little busy at the moment. Would you like to take your business up with me?” Kyle asked mockingly as he stared down the threesome, his saber returning to his hand. The pureblood grinned as he beckoned the masked woman to leave, she obeyed. As the hue of the second saber left, Kyle realised the reddish tint of the armoured man wasn’t from the light. Suddenly he recognized him and everything made sense. His dream, his emotions and the disturbance he had felt throughout the day. “Hello Kyle.” Vorren’s voice echoed through their father’s blood red helmet. Chapter 6 – The Chandrilla Assignment “So once we get her to Chandrilla local security will handle the rest.” Kaiya said, concerned for the young aid to the senator. “Chandrillan authorities have already set up security around her family. Once she arrives she’ll join them under escort.” The Chandrillan senator replied in an assuring and serious tone. The job was simple, the senator’s aid, Korynn Mothma, had been approached and threatened by an imperial agent. For safety, the senator had decreed she be brought home and protected. The senator wasn’t a fool though, he knew sending her on a registered transport was asking for a kidnapping, that’s where Starfire and the Rising Fox came in. Van and Kaiya had been hired to discreetly take the girl back to her family on Chandrilla. “How much are we talking about here?” she asked bluntly. “Sixty. If you intend to take the job, I can give you half now, the other half will be waiting for you on Chandrilla.” The senator replied as he handed over the money. Kaiya smiled as she looked at the credits. “You got yourself a deal senator.” She said. Then added “A little tip though. Next time you deal like this don’t put your money on the table before you have a…” Kaiya was interrupted as an explosion went off right outside the room. They all ducked down in panic as the shockwave permeated the building, shattering the viewports. “Come on miss Mothma, this is our cue!” Kaiya yelled as she grabbed hold of Korynn’s arm and dragged her out of the conference room. Stepping into the hallway she ducked, pulling Korynn down to cover as well, while a sea of blaster fire ripped past from both directions. Republic guards and imperial infiltration units battered each other as they both tried to secure the halls of the senate building. Kaiya reached for her blaster pistol, but it wasn’t there. The memory of giving her weapons to the courteous droid in the lobby came back instantly. She cursed as she leaned her back on the security desk at the entrance to the conference room, where they hid. The security officer who had been there when she entered lay dead a foot or so from them, his blaster still in its holster. Kaiya scrambled over and grabbed the blaster as soon as she noticed it. She sighed in relief that she was at least armed again. Popping in and out of cover, from behind the large desk, she fired at the invaders down the hall. The barrage caught several of them as the imperial forces continued to advance. The surviving republic troops hustled forward, breaking off in to units to secure rooms and clear out any remaining civilians. Some tried to make it down the hall where Kaiya and Korynn sat, huddled in cover, but were mowed down by the fire of the advancing imperials. Kaiya ducked back down, noticing the red glow of a lightsaber approaching. She caught her breath. “Steady, don’t panic” she repeated to herself under her breath. She tried to focus, come on give me some luck today she thought to herself, before whipping out of cover and with one clean shot hit the Sith in the face. The imperial forces who were advancing behind the Sith opened fire. “Hustle, Hustle!” Kaiya yelled, panicked and scared, as she reached her hand out toward Korynn. Korynn, scared out of her mind, managed to conjure up enough courage to throw herself out of cover and grasp, crying, on to Kaiya’s hand. They ran. How they didn’t get hit only the force knows. Kaiya darted left and right, barely avoiding cross-fire and explosions as the senate building was overwhelmed in combat. Suddenly Korynn was yanked to the side as Kaiya burst in to one of the conference rooms. She let go of her hand and Kaiya walked over to the table, grabbed a chair, and tossed it at the window. It shattered and she pulled out a rope from her belt. “Okay, we’re over the walkway, just hold on to the rope and try to slide down…Okay?” Kaiya, said attempting to keep a calm voice and mask how scarred she was. Korynn simply nodded threw her tears and slowly walked over to the window while Kaiya lowered the rope out of it. “I’ll be right behind you” Kaiya said, looking Korynn straight in the eyes, before fixing her stolen pistol at the door. The sweat dripped down her face as she stared down the barrel of the blaster pistol, waiting for Korynn to pull on the rope to signal she was down safely. The signal came and she was only barely out of the window when she heard the outer door to the room open. As the inner door opened, revealing an imperial agent dressed all in black, Kaiya opened fire before sliding speedily down the rope to escape. Landing safely, she took hold of Korynn’s hand and ran with the girl across the walkway. “Just a little further Korynn” she said, the girl was still crying in her state of shock. Ep IV Temple Fall Continues in the following Post

The Legend of Terrek continues with... Ep IV -Temple Fall More links to The Tales of Twisted Fate series can be found in the Chronology below... Feel free to post comments * = current project The Tales of Twisted Fate Chronology The Chronicle of Crystals Ep I-III (To Be Named) BTC 28-24 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep I A New Destiny BTC 24 The Origins of Hate Ep I A Dark Star Rises * BTC 16 The Rising of the Fox Ep I The Lone Wolf & The Sly Fox BTC 14 The Origins of Hate Ep II Raene Fall BTC 12 The Rising of the Fox Ep II The Shaddiest Corner of The Galaxy BTC 12 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep II In Darkness Raised BTC 12 The Rising of the Fox Ep III Safe Haven BTC 10 The Origins of Hate Ep III Lifting The Vale BTC 9 The Origins of Hate Ep IV Seeds of Vengeance BTC 8 The Rising of the Fox Ep IV Joining the Fight BTC 7 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep III Mandalorian Menace BTC 7 The Origins of Hate Ep V The Jaded Witch BTC 4 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep IV Temple Fall BTC 0 TREATY OF CORUSCANT The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep I The Hunted Jedi ATC 0 The Origins of Hate Ep VI Shadows of the Corruptor ATC 2 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep II Ilumination ATC 3 The Rising of the Fox Ep V The Cunning Fox ATC 3 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep III Night's Valor ATC 6 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep V The Fabled Daughter ATC 7 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep IV Defenders of The Republic ATC 10 Star Wars: The Old Republic The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep V (To Be Named) ATC 20 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep Vi The Great Deceiver ATC 20 The Rising of the Fox Ep Vi: The Fall of the Risen ATC 20 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep VI: Twisted Fate ATC 20 The Chronicle of Crystals Ep IV-Vi (To Be Named) BTC 28-24

Star Wars The Old Republic: The Tales of Twisted Fate The Legend of Terrek Corso, Episode III – Mandalorian Menace (BTC 7) Chapter 1 - Blockade Run A Republic transport whooshed by at full speed. The blaster cannons, a double barrelled gunners pod on the top of the craft, fired at the multitude of pursuing enemy starfighters. Ripples of exploding craft trailed the fleeing transport as it dodged through overwhelming odds. “I can’t keep this up forever Master!” yelled Terrek as he continued to fire on the ever increasing number of hostile fighters. “How much longer till we can hit lightspeed?” he asked, an irritable impatience in his voice. “Hold on just a little longer Terrek” replied Master Vale, sat at the helm. A confident Miraluka, a Jedi Consular in the prime of her career. Her hair was long and dark, braided in an elaborate tail that fell gracefully on to the back of her beautiful green robes trimmed in gold, fit for a senator, and matching the fitted vale she wore over her eyes. Her expression was pale. She may have been an exceptional Jedi, but she was no ace pilot. “Kyle forget the shields! Give the hyperdrive a kick.” She said half panicked as she plugged in the final course adjustments for the hyperspace jump. The ship shuddered as blaster fire rained in on them. “We just lost the Hyperdrive.” said Kyle, a youngling dressed in standard Jedi robes and hair cut to tradition, who then rejoined Master Vale in the cockpit of the transport. Terrek’s voice once again came over the comlink “They’ve got us in a tractor beam.” he said as the enormous carrier class starship closed in on them. As the transport was drawn into one of the numerous hanger bays by the force of the tractor beam Master Crystala Vale turned to the youngling studying under her recently knighted apprentice, “Kyle, listen carefully.”she said in a serious and concerned tone. Hanger doors closed behind the republic transport. Teams of mercenary troops and droids scurried into formation, their weapons aimed at the descending ramp of the captured ship. The hanger was large with two exit bays. Hundreds of starfighters were docked in columns stretching to the very top of the hanger. Two inner doors lead to adjacent hangers with a third leading to the interior of the ship. The operation was, without a doubt, being funded and supported by the Sith Empire. The Mandalorian clans and mercenary contingents that comprised the blockade may have had considerable force, but the behemoth of a ship the Jedi had found themselves caught by was beyond the means of those groups. The troops stood anxiously waiting with their weapons frozen on the enemy ship. Time seemed to stop, till the central doorway mechanically opened and Captain Atria Callos stepped briskly toward the enemy ship. Mercenaries fell in behind her to cover as she stood in front of the silent ship and barked out orders. “Well! Board the damn thing! Now go!” She yelled furiously at her incompetent crew. She was used to more disciplined soldiers, not these penny grabbing mercenary fools she was leading. But she had to keep her cover. Only a handful of people knew she was an imperial operative. Her crew believed her to be a mercenary like themselves, who’d struck a sweet deal with the Sith in order to secure ‘Her Beast’, the affectionate nickname given to the gigantic carrier ship she captained. And considering the resent arrivals on her ship, it was all more important she hid her true loyalties. Before the first droids reach the transport two robed figures step out of it and make their way down the ramp. “hands up”, “drop your weapons” two droids say as they approach the Jedi. “Jedi…excellent, show them to the ‘guest room’.” she said chuckling before turning to leave the hanger. “And search the ship!” she yelled back as the central door shut behind her. Hours passed before Kyle could feel the presence of the search teams leave the vessel. When the coast was clear he lifted the panel sealing the secret compartment and climbed out. He was beginning to understand why Master Vale liked this hunk of junk that could barely fly. His mission was clear in his mind, deactivate the tractor beam and if possible escape. The words his master spoke before joining Crystala echoed in his mind. “Stay hidden till you’re safe. Don’t take any risks” his master had told him. The exits from the hanger where being guarded and patrols would be making their way threw the various hangers. He’d have to find another route, Kyle thought as he made his way, quietly, to a ventilation shaft. Chapter 2 – The Belly of The Beast Terrek found himself bound to a ceiling overlooking a deep pit in the middle of a circular room. Walkways stretched around the room in tiers all the way up to where Terrek was bound. From there Mandalorians, and other mercenaries watched the show below. As his master, Crystala, sliced threw her latest victim, the crowd of Mandalorians cheered from above. The Captain had decided the Jedi would make good sport, giving her crew a chance to remember true combat. From the cheers below she could tell she had been right, her crew had been itching for some man-to-man combat. Probably due to the time they’d spent waiting in their blockade. The mercenary scum took bets as the next combatant stepped forward on to a balcony. As the dozen before him he took hold of the metal link chain which then proceeded to descend, lowering the new challenger into the makeshift arena, where master Vale awaited him. Before the man had reached the floor the whole ship shuck causing the man to lose his grip and fall to his death. Some of the spectators laughed, but only for a moment, as the ships internal alarm started to resound throughout the carrier. In a mix of anxiety and panic the spectators scurried away to their battle stations. Terrek switched his gaze to the prime balcony where Atria Callos had been sat. He watched as the captain hastily stood up and left the room, undoubtedly to make her way to the bridge. As the doors closed behind her his eyes where drawn to the two men who had been sitting next to her. Both wore black robes and hoods making it impossible to distinguish any features of the men. But from the cold chill their presence it was obvious that at, least one, was a Sith. Terrek could feel the hate and anger of the Sith pulsating through the force and knew that his chance had come. Closing his eyes he reached out to the force. He concentrated on the shackles which held him suspended over the giant room and forced a glitch in the power supply. Now free from his bindings Terrek fell head first toward the pit below. Gazing down again he watched as multiple mercenaries dropped to the arena floor and engaged his master. Crystala felt relief. Before the alarm had sounded she had considered their chances of escape non-existent, but not anymore. Her green blades sliced their way threw the combatants, simultaneously blocking incoming vibroblades and deflecting blaster fire with her double-bladed lightsaber. As she plunged her blade back and into the chest of the last remaining Mandalorian mercenary she knew she was almost out of time. Crystala reached toward the pit as her apprentice continued to plunge toward it and with the force took hold of him. Terrek could suddenly feel himself slowing down. As he came to a still hover over the pit the two men dressed in black reached the arena floor and let go of the chains that had brought them there. “Ready Terrek?” asked his master before using the force to send him flying into the two dark figures. As Terrek approached the Sith drew his saber, revealing the location of Terrek’s lightsaber as well. Terrek willed his own saber from the Sith’s belt and into his hands, his feet still hung in the air as the two blades met. Only a moment after the sabers had collided the Sith took hold of Terrek’s throat with the force and flung him back across the arena floor. Terrek stood up and watched as master Vale, engaged the Sith. Before he could join her however, blaster fire rained in on him. Catching the bolts with his saber he turned round to face the other dark robed figure. As the last volley of blaster fire was deflected the two men stared at each other for a moment before the dark figure removed his robe. With the black robe now strewn on the floor, Terrek could see his attacker and he couldn’t believe it. Before him stood an eerily familiar bounty hunter, he’d never forget that red helmet. “Dayton? But that’s impossible!?” said Terrek, still staring in disbelief at his enemy. The bounty hunter said nothing; he simply lifted one blaster and recommenced firing. Chapter 3 – Ghosts of the Past Kyle hid behind a pile of crates, near the back wall of the hanger bay. Having completed his task on board the ship he had now made his way back to their captured transport without being spotted. However, with the alarm sounding and crew members running all about he was stuck. He’d have to be patient, wait for the right moment. He needed to clear out the hanger if he wanted to get out of it in one piece, he thought. At that moment one of the inner doors to the bay burst open, the fire of an explosion raging through it. A bounty hunter emerged from the smoking door relentlessly firing back through the recently made hole. Kyle could already feel who it was the bounty hunter was firing at, he knew the presence well. His instincts were soon confirmed, as the orange hew of his masters saber permeated the smoke filled doorway. Terrek charged while batting away the incoming volleys of blaster fire, as he did he felt a sensation of déjà vu. Almost without thinking he spun round, mimicking his actions on the landing platform five years earlier. Just as before the bounty hunter fired at his fake opening and, just as before it was deflected directly back to the barrel. But this time as Terrek ended his spin, his blade following through on a direct path for his assailants head, it caught nothing but air. The bounty hunter had activated his jetpack, shooting him into the air and away from the threatening blade of his Jedi nemesis. Having gained distance he fired a couple of his wrist bound rockets at the Jedi, who flung them across the hanger bay with the power of the force. As the rockets exploded around the hanger, the remaining mercenaries fled the carnage of the bay. Kyle, still hiding in a pile of crates, took this as his chance and made a run for their transport. Once he had made it up the docking ramp he ran straight for the flight controls. He quickly began punching in the procedures for take off while watching his master’s struggle continue before him, past the view screen. Elsewhere aboard the carrier vessel, the struggle between the masked Sith and Master Vale continued. They had fought their way through the catacombs of the ship and up towards the bridge. “You should be dead.” Crystala said in disbelief, as she drove the masked Sith back, both ends of her saber scorched the walls as she refused to let up. Darth Krohn drew the Jedi back, remaining silent. He had managed to separate the master from her apprentice, now he was leading her to the bridge. There her obviously superior skill with a lightsaber would count for nothing, unlike the narrow passages that had led them to where they were. It angered him that he would never posses the skill he had once had, when his body had been whole. And the Jedi reminded him too much of the jedi who had taken his arms so many years ago. Just one more door, Krohn thought as he fended off the blows of his combatant. In desperation he smashed her back down the still smoking corridor and ran back, the door to the bridge closing behind him. Crystala slowly stood up and composed herself. She knew her moment of advantage was over. The duel had made clear however, that Darth Krohn was more machine than man. Despite the prosthetics, she was baffled at the thought that Krohn could have survived, the carnage of events etched in her memory from long ago. She reached out in the force to sense what lay in wait for her. Beyond the door a small team of Mandalorians huddled in groups preparing to fire when she walked through the door. Behind the ambush Darth Krohn waited. The captain, Atria, stood beside him concentrated on the battle raging outside the carrier. Crystala had learned enough, she brought her hand up, using the force to lift open the door. The Mandalorian soldiers fired but to no effect, the Jedi was to far away to get a clear shot off. The Jedi sprinted forward, shocking the Mandalorians who had never seen anyone move so fast. Before they could tell, she was upon them. Those she didn’t cut down got caught in each others cross-fire or ran for their lives. Krohn stormed forward while Atria rained down on the Jedi with blaster fire. Crystala dodged the incoming shots; the captain’s rifle was far more accurate and powerful than those of her crew. Krohn stopped dead in his tracks. Seizing the moment, Crystala ripped the riffle from Atria’s hands with the force. Suddenly, violent streams of lightning cascaded into her. Darth Krohn mustered his power and once again shot a stream of lightning at the Jedi. Crystala managed to regain herself in time to block the second volley of lightning with her saber. Unlike the first attack, which was a quick shock, this attack was a prolonged dispersion of raging power. Atria couldn’t get to her riffle, but she wasn’t going to miss her opportunity. She reached down and drew her pistol. In one shot she hit the Jedi’s lightsaber, disrupting the power play between the two force users. The remaining surge shocked Crystala, summoning the power of the force, she sent Krohn spinning away from them before the next flurry of shots came in. Atria had figured the Jedi helpless without her saber, she was wrong. With her bare palms Crystala caught the few shots that were on target. Through the power of the force Atria’s own shots came howling back at her. She only managed to blink before three bolts rammed into her chest. With the captain dead, Crystala reached out for her lightsaber. It sparked as she attempted to activate it. Once again Darth Krohn sent arcs of lightning screeching toward the now unarmed Jedi. But this time Crystala focused herself on the force and caught the lightning as it came in. As the pressure in her hands swelled she released, blasting the collected force back across the room. The very structure of the bridge shook, panels shattered and objects smashed into the walls. Krohn could only watch as waves of energy whaled into him, preventing him from moving at all. The Jedi stood in the centre of the bridge, her green robes fluttered violently from the sheer power of the force surrounding her. Krohn knew what she would do and he was afraid, afraid because he was powerless to stop her. Chapter 4 – A Vengeful Spirit “Dayton listen to me.” Terrek said as the armoured gunman landed back on the deck. “My name is Vorren!” the man replied as he removed his helmet in an obvious rage. “I’m his son, and I will have vengeance… now die!” the gunamna yelled as he once again opened fire at Terrek. Terrek charged once more, this time no turn…no games. Vorren stepped back and switched on his flamethrower. The flames shot out at Terrek. As they approached Terrek took a knee and stretched out his right arm while focusing his power in the force. As the flames engulfed his hand he let out a quick scream before managing to take hold of the flames with the force, sending them hurtling back into Vorren. Vorren was badly burned, without his helmet his face had been wide open when the backlash of flames came sweeping over. He rolled on the floor in agony, simultaneously killing the remaining flames. The transport behind Terrek paused, hovering in the docking bay, as the access ramp descended. But Terrek’s first thought was to go find his master, though he knew he had some explaining to do to Kyle. Kyle’s first master died over a year ago. Terrek had taken him as his apprentice after completing his trials, a sort of ultimatum posed by his master. Crystala Vale, had arranged for Terrek to take the trials at a mere sixteen with the condition that if he where to pass, he would take an apprentice of his own, immediately. When he passed, he chose Kyle Laurent. Not because he had too, and not because of some pity for having lost his master. It was because he owed his father at least that much, if it hadn’t been for Dayton, Terrek would still be a Sith. Using the force he leapt on to the ramp and joined his apprentice, knowing that now Vorren had appeared, he’d have to sit down with Kyle and explain it all to the boy, or risk losing him to the dark side. As he left the hanger Kyle found himself surrounded by a massive fire fight. Fortunately he had always been a good pilot, the best his master knew, or so he was always told. This fight was not what he had expected though. When the battle alarm had begun to sound around the ship Kyle had assumed his masters had managed to send a distress signal. He had expected to find a republic battle fleet hammering into the blockade. Instead a swarm of smaller craft had penetrated the entire blockade. Explosions rained in form all around as they received a transmission. “Republic vessel, Identify…This is Hylo Visz.” Kyle quickly responded, “Hello Hylo, this is Kyle Laurent” He almost giggled before reciting the designation code. “If you would be so kind as to give us some cover we can call in the cavalry.” With that said Kyle shifted course away from the carrier. He heard an instantaneous response. “Starwind, Beeno cover that ship!” Hylo’s voice commanded across the open channel. The three ships blasted their way through the blockade and away from the larger cruisers. Terrek, along with gunners on the other craft, fired at the pursuing craft. Amongst them is Vorren, in hot pursuit and determined to chase down his father’s killer. He had been too fixated on Terrek to notice Kyle; he didn’t know he was hunting his own little brother too. As the Jedi fended off the pursuing craft and waited to see if their signal would get through to the republic fleet a startled voice resounded across the open channel, “What the…” it said. Another answered with “We didn’t hit it.” Behind them the bridge of the carrier ship on which they had been held captive was ripped wide open. With no control the carrier banked, crashing into another cruiser of the blockade. Explosions rippled across both ships, even nearby fighters were enveloped in the flames. Terrek, though concentrated on the pursuing fighters, felt it as his master’s presence vanished from existence, and a single tear rolled down Terrek’s cheek. Vorren, still chasing the vessel noticed a break in the firing and took his opportunity. With a quick thrust he came up behind one of the escort vessels and unleashed hell. The Ship fell to pieces in the midst of rocket explosions and blaster fire. The remaining two craft listened as Morla Beeno, the captain of vessel, screamed before her comlink died. “We’ll deal with this scum, Kaiya let him have it.” Captain Starwind of the other escort ship screamed, obviously frustrated. As the remaining escort veered off, forcing Vorren to follow, a multitude of Republic Cruisers dropped out of hyperspace. “Master reinforcements have arrived” Kyle said enthusiastically.” Terrek was still processing the name he had just heard. Immediately he had reached out in the force to see if it was her, and it was. “Kaiya, what are you doing here?” Terrek said over the channel, utterly baffled. Kaiya continued to fire at Beeno’s murderer. She had heard Terrek and she would answer his question later, now was not the time. She had last seen him when he rejoined the Jedi order on Coruscant, she then returned to her family on Alderaan. But it was too dangerous for her too stay there. Her father decided to have her shipped around the galaxy, to keep her safe from the empire. However, as she grew she became more intolerant to her guardians position of lying low, not drawing any attention. She could not bare it, especially considering that they always seemed to settle on some outer rim planet riddled with injustice. When she caught wind of Hylo’s plan to assault the Mandalorian blockade, she knew she had to be a part of it. She escaped her guardians with the help of their pilot. A man who had been with them since the beginning, Van Starwind, he was a rugged gunslinger. The kind of man Kaiya’s father wouldn’t usually trust, but his ship was fast. She knew the only reason Van had agreed to go is because he knew she’d have gone anyway. Suddenly Kyle swooped across his escort’s flank. Terrek fired a volley at Vorren’s ship, knocking a stabilizer loose. Outnumbered, damaged and still injured, he activated his hyperdrive in retreat. He’d failed and he felt as though his whole world had been crushed. But he vowed that this would not be the end, his father would be avenged.

The Legend of Terrek continues with... Ep III - Mandolorian Menace More links to The Tales of Twisted Fate series can be found in the Chronology below... Feel free to post comments * = current project The Tales of Twisted Fate Chronology The Chronicle of Crystals Ep I-III (To Be Named) BTC 28-24 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep I A New Destiny BTC 24 The Origins of Hate Ep I A Dark Star Rises * BTC 16 The Rising of the Fox Ep I The Lone Wolf & The Sly Fox BTC 14 The Origins of Hate Ep II Raene Fall BTC 12 The Rising of the Fox Ep II The Shaddiest Corner of The Galaxy BTC 12 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep II In Darkness Raised BTC 12 The Rising of the Fox Ep III Safe Haven BTC 10 The Origins of Hate Ep III Lifting The Vale BTC 9 The Origins of Hate Ep IV Seeds of Vengeance BTC 8 The Rising of the Fox Ep IV Joining the Fight BTC 7 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep III Mandalorian Menace BTC 7 The Origins of Hate Ep V The Jaded Witch BTC 4 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep IV Temple Fall BTC 0 TREATY OF CORUSCANT The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep I The Hunted Jedi ATC 0 The Origins of Hate Ep VI Shadows of the Corruptor ATC 2 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep II Ilumination ATC 3 The Rising of the Fox Ep V The Cunning Fox ATC 3 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep III Night's Valor ATC 6 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep V The Fabled Daughter ATC 7 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep IV Defenders of The Republic ATC 10 Star Wars: The Old Republic The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep V (To Be Named) ATC 20 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep Vi The Great Deceiver ATC 20 The Rising of the Fox Ep Vi: The Fall of the Risen ATC 20 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep VI: Twisted Fate ATC 20 The Chronicle of Crystals Ep IV-Vi (To Be Named) BTC 28-24

Star Wars The Old Republic: The Tales of Twisted Fate The Legend of Terrek Corso Episode II – In Darkness Raised (BTC 12) Chapter 1 – The Last Conversion A D5-Mantis dropped out of hyperspace heading for Nar Shaddaa. On the surface Master Valentin Strago, a tall man dressed in black, with long unkempt jet black hair and a face riddled with course stubble, stared at the luminous blue projection of a Sith officer on his comlink. “They have arrived.” said the officer before abruptly cutting off the transmission. “Take care of this, and meet me at the ship.” Valentin said, as he turned his back to his apprentice and left the room. “Yes, my master.” Terrek whispered as he turned to the Hutt standing across from him, whose bodyguards already lay dead at his feet. “Now we will discuss your new found loyalty to The Empire.” He mocked the Hutt, who trembled in fear at the child standing before him. A Zeltron boy no older than twelve, the red hue of his kind was faint, but unmistakable. Black hair, ironically styled like a Jedi’s. But most distinctive and most disturbing for the Hutt were his eyes, his piercing green eyes. The Hutt screamed in terror as the door snapped shut behind Master Strago. The Empire had been shipping his student across the galaxy since they had first returned to the Sith four years ago. The Zeltron pheromone his people produce, enhanced by his power in the force had given his apprentice an unnatural giftedness for mind manipulation, a quality not lost on the Sith Empire. Valentin had the feeling Terrek did not particularly enjoy his new assignments, not that the boy had seemed to enjoy his tests on Korriban either, but he could feel a growing doubt within him. Perhaps the eight years he had taught him as a Jedi had doomed the boy from the start, he thought as he made his way out of the safe house, down the filthy alien infested walkways of Nar Shaddaa and on to a discrete landing platform in one of the less than reputable parts of the city. Chapter 2 – The Panteer Plot The bounty hunter was late, but considering the cargo he carried, Valentin would be forgiving. Dayton Laurent, a known Mandolorian bounty hunter, had contracted with the empire to deliver them a political prisoner, one of the younger nieces of the Panteer family on Alderaan. How they’d managed to procure her, he didn’t know. He hadn’t been privy to the operational details. Valentin had only found out about it after the local Commander on Nar Shaddaa threw a fit over resources after receiving the communiqué concerning the operation. Valentin had made sure, however to relieve him of the burden of that meeting. To Valentin these events posed an oppurtinity that would pave his way to power within the empire. If they acted fast enough, they could get the Panteer girl and send her back to the republic before anyone caught on. With his apprentice by her side, molding her into a loyal imperial servant, Valentin would hold a key position during the inevitable invasion of Alderaan. Eventually the Mantis pulls over head, preparing to land and Valentin pulls out his comlink. “Master I am at the ship, where are you?” says the projection of Terrek. “Meet me at platform five. There is one more mind to bend.” His master replies. Terrek makes his way past the entryways of various platforms until he reaches platform 5. Using the force he takes hold of the security agent’s mind, authorizing entry to the platform and erasing himself from the poor fool’s mind. As he enters the hanger he sees a man dressed in armor escorting a little girl, down the ramp of a D5-Mantis and toward his master. As Terrek approaches the group his mind begins racing. He had invaded the minds of Cartel scum, Assaulted the senses of enemy troops and twisted the thoughts of tribes and gangs. But to corrupt the mind of a little girl, would this really bring glory to the empire he wondered. As that thought crosses his mind a distant memory flashes before him. “Rain…” he mumbles under his breathe. Now standing next to his master he looks up, somehow wishing he had misunderstood what his master wanted from him. His master merely looks back at him with a cold stare, his once brown eyes which Terrek had known when he was younger, now a screaming yellow filled with hate. Valentin merely brakes his stare and tilts his head in the direction of the little girl before turning his back, “Come Dayton, let us see to the matter of your compensation.” He says, walking briskly toward the exit. As Terrek’s gaze falls back to the frightened little girl only a few feet away from him and as he tries to come to grips with what he is about to do, their eyes lock. As they do Terrek sees the vision of a woman suddenly appear behind the girl. At first he did not know who she was. He had never seen her before but her green eyes, red skin and soft smile told him everything. “Mom” he uttered, before the vision disappeared. With tears in his eyes he spun round. “Noooo!” He cried, as he drew his lightsaber and sent it flying straight as an arrow towards his master. In one swift move his master spins around and drops to a knee. At the same time Valentin wills his saber to his hand through the force and in the same manner sends it flying directly into the path of the incoming threat. The two sabers barely touch as they pass each other in mid flight, but just enough to send both hurtling off course. Chapter 3 – 30 Min. Earlier Ganio Niedra, a Twi’lek Jedi with a pale yellow complexion, makes his way through the crowded cantina and over to its back corner. Once there he looks back at the bar tender and with a small nod the Chiss reaches under the bar to stealthily press a hidden button. Discretely and completely silent, the back wall opens to reveal a secret sitting room, not much larger than any of the other private booths scattered around the walls of the cantina. The point of this room wasn’t its size; rather it was the element of discretion that had made this location ideal for meeting with contacts. The Jedi has a standing arrangement with the Chiss barkeep, one of the few people on Nar Shaddaa Ganio feels he can trust, at least as long as he pays him. Already sitting in the room is a human man with short brown hair and stubble suggesting the man has not shaved in at least a week or so. On the table sits an intricate Helmet, the bottom half covered by a fixed dark red cloth, a pad of short spikes adorns the top with the same color. As the hidden door closes behind him Ganio takes a seat across from the bounty hunter. “Dayton Laurent I presume?” says the Jedi. “Don’t presume too much Jedi, it will get you killed… Now do you want your intel or not?” Dayton smugly retorted. The Jedi reaches for the very substantial amount of credits given to him by the counsel for his mission. “I do, but I was wondering how much “cooperation” would cost?” he says as he reveals the credits. The bounty hunter’s answer is quick. “Twice my price and my family safe under republic guard. Here are the details. We’ll have to hurry if you want this to work” He says, handing a data pad to the Jedi. Ganio merely smiles and says “That can be arranged.” Chapter 4 – Clash on Platform 5 As Ganio finds his way to the landing terminal the bounty hunter had directed him to he can feel a powerful disturbance in the force. He knows all he needs to from that, such raging emotions tuned directly into destruction can only be coming from a Sith. He rushed to the platform, the force guiding him to the darkness. He reaches platform five and as he does he draws his lightsaber from his belt and activates it. An orange blade springs to life with a deep humming noise. The security agent at the platform, fearing for his life and not wanting trouble, quickly opens the doors to the hanger and raises his hands as if to surrender. As the hanger doors open Master Niedra watches as two lightsabers hurtle towards each other and clash in mid air. While attempting to grasp the situation he continues to watch as the two Sith charge at each other, each willing their sabers back to their hands before meeting each other in a violent clash. Dayton, still confused about the current events watches as the two Sith lock in combat when he sees the hanger door open, his Jedi friend standing beyond it. Still confused he says “oh Whatever!” while drawing his blaster pistols and unloading volley after volley of blaster fire in the direction of the battling Sith. The incoming array of blaster fire forces Terrek to spin around in order to deflect the incoming volley, as he does Valentin seizes the moment and slices down. Inches from his face his masters blade is caught by a mysterious orange blade. As Terrek looks up he sees a Twi’lek in Jedi robes engage his master, driving him into a corner. With all of them locked in combat, none really understand the situation. Dayton sees Sith being crazy, that’s nothing unusual. When they gave him a heap of credits to kidnap a noble relative from Alderaan he had no problems. It was when he finished the operation, when he found out his target was a ten year old girl, that he decided to betray the empire, and their deal. He had kids of his own, two boys, and he’d make damn sure his kids weren’t snatched by the Sith. He’d make sure his kids wouldn’t end up like the enraged boy who was now charging at him, batting his blaster fire back at him like it was a game. The dark side clouds Ganio’s connection to the force. Locked in combat with the juggernaut in front of him, he finds himself astounded. The power and rage that had led him to the hanger so quickly, did not eminate from the master, they where both cascading out of the young apprentice he had saved only moments ago. When he had entered the room, seeing the pair crossing blades, he wondered if he could save the boy. Now, as he felt the boy’s emotions erupting behind him, he was not so sure. Valentin lets the Jedi back him into a corner, away from his pupil, splitting the combatants to his advantage. Sensing the wall behind him, Valentin jumps back, planting his feet firmly on the wall before extending his knees sending him hurtling back into the Jedi. His mind was clear… they all have to die. Chapter 5 – Dayton’s End Terrek can’t think. His rage has taken a hold of him completely. He doesn’t feel in control, in a way he’s never known before. It scares him, but the rage is too overwhelming to let what he thinks interfere. He closes in on Dayton deflecting blaster fire from, what is now, point blank range. As Dayton scurries backward, simultaneously firing his blasters and dodging an ever closer lightsaber, he tries to use the jet-pack installed on his back. Dayton flies up, still firing, as Terrek deflects the incoming shots and takes hold of him with the force. Suddenly Dayton stops in the air, he can’t move. Before he knows what’s wrong he’s already slamming back into the ground. The impact shakes him; he knows he didn’t just fall and as he picks himself up he knows he doesn’t have time. Taking a knee he picks up his blaster. Terrek charges in as the bounty hunter struggles to pick himself up. As the man reaches for his blaster Terrek spins. His trick worked, Dayton fired as Terrek predicted. Spinning his saber behind him in mid turn the red blade catches the blaster bolt perfectly, sending it smashing back into the blaster. Now defenseless Dayton pulls the trigger in panicked desperation, but to no avail. The terror doesn’t last long. As Terrek finishes his spin he brings his saber round again catching the bounty hunter in the neck. The red helmet with the head still inside rolled off of Dayton before his lifeless body, still propped on one knee, collapsed on the floor. Terrek turns around to see that Master Strago and the Jedi are still fighting. The tables having turned now as Master Strago strikes without mercy at the Jedi, driving him back toward the ship and Terrek. As they draw closer they pause. Master Strago stares at Terrek. He knows that he wants him to attack the Jedi from behind. Going back to his master was not an option now though, he had rebelled, with a reason, and going back would merely mean surrendering to endless torture, if not death. Ganio can feel the boy’s doubt. “I can free you from this hate young one, let us try together.” He says while keeping his eyes on Valentin. “Are you too weak to face me alone, Jedi?” Valentin mocks before slashing his lightsaber downward at the Jedi, but Ganio catches the blow. The two men struggle to dominate the now locked blades. Terrek, still enraged and unable to think, sees his chance. Lunging forward he thrusts his blade straight through the Jedi’s back catching Master Strago in the chest as well. Valentin jumps back, his armor had just saved his life, but he was still wounded. His pupil came charging straight at him, his saber low. As Terrek draws close his master swings and as the blade nears he drops to his knees and leans back. He watches as his masters violet blade passes inches over his face. As the blade cuts threw his, still falling, Jedi braid he’d had fashioned above his right ear all his life, he closes his eyes. The momentum of his charge still carrying him he jerks himself to the side, flinging his saber in front of him and catches his master in the leg, severing it. Valentin Cries in pain. “I should have left you to starve in your dying mother’s arms!” Terrek gets up. Standing over his master, now helpless, he brings his saber back to life takes it in both hands and points it downward. Suddenly Terrek feels arms around his waist and a warm embrace from his back. Kaiya, the little girl, clutches him from behind, crying on his back. “Please… Stop…” she says. As soon as the words leave her mouth Terrek calms and the rage lifts before he looses consciousness entirely.

Next in The Tales of Twisted Fate... The Origins of Hate Ep I - A Dark Star Rises The Legend of Terrek continues with... Ep II - In Darkness Raised Links to other Tales of Twisted Fate can be found in the chronology below... Feel free to post a reply. * = current project The Tales of Twisted Fate Chronology The Chronicle of Crystals Ep I-III (To Be Named) BTC 28-24 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep I A New Destiny BTC 24 The Origins of Hate Ep I A Dark Star Rises * BTC 16 The Rising of the Fox Ep I The Lone Wolf & The Sly Fox BTC 14 The Origins of Hate Ep II Raene Fall BTC 12 The Rising of the Fox Ep II The Shaddiest Corner of The Galaxy BTC 12 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep II In Darkness Raised BTC 12 The Rising of the Fox Ep III Safe Haven BTC 10 The Origins of Hate Ep III Lifting The Vale BTC 9 The Origins of Hate Ep IV Seeds of Vengeance BTC 8 The Rising of the Fox Ep IV Joining the Fight BTC 7 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep III Mandalorian Menace BTC 7 The Origins of Hate Ep V The Jaded Witch BTC 4 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep IV Temple Fall BTC 0 TREATY OF CORUSCANT The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep I The Hunted Jedi ATC 0 The Origins of Hate Ep VI Shadows of the Corruptor ATC 2 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep II Ilumination ATC 3 The Rising of the Fox Ep V The Cunning Fox ATC 3 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep III Night's Valor ATC 6 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep V The Fabled Daughter ATC 7 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep IV Defenders of The Republic ATC 10 Star Wars: The Old Republic The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep V (To Be Named) ATC 20 The Adventures of Kyle Laurent Ep Vi The Great Deceiver ATC 20 The Rising of the Fox Ep Vi: The Fall of the Risen ATC 20 The Legend of Terrek Corso Ep VI: Twisted Fate ATC 20 The Chronicle of Crystals Ep IV-Vi (To Be Named) BTC 28-24

Star Wars The Old Republic: The Tales of Twisted Fate The Legend of Terrek Corso, Episode I – A New Destiny (BTC 24) Chapter 1 – On the Tail of a Traitor A lone Jedi starship dropped out of hyperspace far above the planet Zeltros. As the ship shifted to an orbiting patern, Jedi Master Nindo Underso, who until know had spent the entirety of the trip in his meditation chamber, stepped on to the bridge. Nindo had felt a dark, lurking, presence from the moment they’d arrived. “We’re being watched.” He said calmly, the end of his sentence cut short by a flurry of laser fire crossing over the nose of the ship. “Ya think!” the pilot of the starship yelled in response as he quickly manoeuvred the ship, determined to face his attacker, causing the ship to jolt violently as he tried to pull more out of her than she was designed for. The ship continued to bank and finally they caught the sight of an Imperial Fury class ship moments before its hyperdrive activated and slipped beyond their reach. At that moment Nindo knew he’d already failed and that the Holocron now rested in Sith hands, but he could still unmask the traitor that had led him there. “Captain, get me as close to that tracer as you possibly can?” Nindo said, determined to see his mission through to the end. “The reading’s coming from the spaceport, with any luck I can park us right next to the target.” The pilot replied as the starship soared through the atmosphere, down to the planet surface. Valentin Strago breathed a sigh of relief as he turned the corner. He could see his ship at the opposite end of the corridor. Though his contact could travel with relative autonomy and by now would probably be well on their way to Sith space, Valentin had just spent the last hour navigating the streets, avoiding the security feeds. He knew that his presence on Zeltros would be viewed as all too suspicious and posed an unacceptable risk to his cover within The Order. As Valentin neared his ship his pace slowed. He could sense something watching him, and since it was actively hiding its presence from him he knew it was no coincidence. He wondered if his new mission had been a ruse, if by delivering the holocron he’d made himself redundant. Fear began to swell as he contemplated how likely it was that he’d been betrayed. He turned cautiously scanning for any sign of movement when he spotted the ship docked in the bay next to his, an identical Jedi Starship. With it came the full clarity of his situation, he hadn’t been betrayed, he’d been followed. As the truth sank in the door to Valentin’s ship opened and a hooded figure started down the ramp. Using the force Valentin detached his lightsaber from his belt and flung it as straight as an arrow toward the Jedi. As the hilt flew through the air the blade came to life and a vibrant purple line headed straight for Nindo’s heart. Nindo forced his own saber to his hand, and as its blue blade shot from the hilt, it caught the incoming blade but an inch away from his chest, knocking it off to the side. Nindo then drew from the force and sent the traitors blade spinning wildly back at him. Valentin dodged the returning blade, allowing it to strike another starship, parked behind him. Nindo, seizing the moment, leapt from the ships ramp directly at his foe. His blade raised high, ready to crash down on his opponent. It seemed Valentin had barely enough time to will his wayward blade back to his hand, grasp the hilt tight and block the gargantuan strike bearing down on him from the sky. The clash of blades continued until Valentin’s blade barrowed toward Nindo’s side, forcing the Jedi Master to dodge away by reverse somersaulting, landing his feet on the nose of Valentin’s starship. Nindo’s body was now defying gravity as he braised himself against the viewport of the ship. He could not do this for long, he’d have to jump clear soon. But before he could act he felt a force holding him to the ship’s hull. Moments later the artificial light of the docking bay was replaced by that of the system’s sun. Nindo looked up and just as he had predicted, the ship was no longer in the docking bay. A sneering smile began to grow on his face as Valentin let go the grip he held his own ship with, watching it fall away from site, along with his Jedi adversary. Only afterward did he remember his own pilot was also still aboard. Chapter 2 – Falling The off world landing terminal on Zeltros, is a giant building of White stone and red metals, which towers above the structures surrounding it. From the ground eight massive winding base pillars spiral their way up interwoven with each other until the general transportation altitude cap. Above that an octagonal vault, stretching for dozens of levels of docking bays on all sides, slowly spins. Elaborate carved pillars cover the exterior, and bunch around each landing bay, which in the event of a closing, roll out across the bay entrance hindering any ships attempting to take off. Normally it is a beautiful sight to behold, a majestic entrance to a world filled with pleasure. But not on this day, people ran and screamed on the levels of walkways below as they looked up to see a powerless starship leave a hanger and abruptly begin to plummet down toward them. Nindo knew he didn’t have a lot of time. As the starship that had once been his prey fell as nothing more than a hunk of metal towards the crowds of people below, with him on top. He knew there was nothing he could do for them and that unless he acted quickly he would be just one more corps among the crowd. As the lowest tier of landing bays flew by his sight, he closed his eyes to connect with the force, in that instant he was overwhelmed with clarity. As his senses stretched out he could feel the trajectory of the falling vessel. If he abandoned it, it would crash into a support pillar below filled with causeways of shops and residences. On top of this it would destabilize the tower and could send the whole building crashing into the city below. With no time left to find a safe alternative he focused himself, drawing upon all the power he could muster and leapt from the top of the doomed vessel, ripping it out of its initial path and sending him soaring up, back towards the lowest tier of landing bays. Nindo could see where he was going, but he wasn’t going to make it to a stable footing. The docking bay above was too far for that. Fortunately the exhausted Jedi master managed to lodge his lightsaber into one of the decorative pieces that cover the exterior for enough time to wedge himself between two smaller pillars, at the very bottom of the octagonal docking vault. From there he would have to climb the exterior to get into the docking bay and save his life, not to mention try to catch Valentin Strago. Chapter 3 – On the Verge of Escape Valentin hid himself aboard Nindo’s ship and hoped the old man didn’t fly himself. It swiftly became evident, from the personal items aboard, that Nindo was indeed not travelling alone. And so Valentin waited, rather impatiently. Finally Nindo’s pilot returned to the ship. Valentin could smell that the man had spent most of his time in the cantina from the moment he’d walked up the ships ramp. For a moment Vlaentin questioned whether the pilot was in a state to fly, regardless, he didn’t have much choice. Valentin was well aware that he was an outstandingly horrible pilot himself, so the drunk would have to do. As the pilot entered the bridge, Valentin made himself known, stepping in behind the pilot he grabbed the man by his shoulder and hurled him in to the pilot’s chair. The pilot yelped ,confused, as he whipped threw the air and plunged in to his seat. The sudden hum of a violet lightsaber stared back at him before he could react. “Take off!” Valentin commanded, his blade still hovering in front of the pilot. Having little choice, and scared out of his mind, the pilot obeyed. The ship engines came to life and slowly the starship lifted from the hanger floor, hovering as it turned toward the bay entrance, before accelerating past the pillar doors and out of the structure. It emerged from the same docking hole as the previous ship, which by now had crashed into the surface a little ways out from the base of the spaceport structure. The bridge of Valentin’s new ship had just barely peaked out of the bay before the ship came to an abrupt stop. Valentin simply placed his vibrant purple blade at eye level for his new pilot. The pilot cursed and swore he had nothing to do with it and that it wasn’t his fault. As the ship reversed back into the landing bay Valentin got a cold shudder down his spine. A shudder that was confirmed as the ship spun round to face down the corridor, past various parked starships they could see a single individual, standing tall and wielding a blue lightsaber. At the very sight of Nindo, Valentin beheaded his hostage pilot and made his way out of the ship as quickly as he could. As Valentin jumped down he noticed that Nindo was carefully putting down the ship, instead of letting it fall which would have certainly killed him. He would not let this opportunity to strike go to waste. As he landed he used the force to take hold of a small vessel near Nindo and flung it at the Jedi Master, who quickly dodged forward and continued to close on his target. Valentin retreated as the starship above him came smashing down to the floor, determined to find a position of advantage over his advancing opponent. Their sabers clashed briefly as they stood in front of a hub of turbolifts on that level. For a brief moment Nindo had the advantage. Suddenly one of the turbo lifts’ doors opened providing Valentin with an escape. As he stepped back into the lift he summoned the force to send Nindo flying down the corridor they had just traversed in battle. You will not escape now, thought Nindo. He hurried back to the hub and forced the doors open. With the turbo lift already heading below, he jumped down after it. As he approached the top of the speeding turbo lift he used his lightsaber on one of the walls in order to slow his descent before crashing on top of the moving object. No sooner had Nindo lifted his head than as a purple jet of energy came pulsing through the ceiling on which he had landed. He had nowhere to move to evade anymore, he’d have to parry, which meant there was only one thing to do. Nindo drew his blade and deflected a stab aimed at his leg before jamming his own saber in to the ceiling. Both Jedi stabbed and slashed through the metal ceiling of the turbo lift as it continued it’s decent. Unable to see each other and dropping fast they duelled. Valentin tried to stop Nindo from making a whole to enter through and Nindo fought for his life. When Nindo finally managed to cut a hole, large enough for him to pass through, his enemy forced the loose metal back up and pierced it with his saber until the turbo lift stopped. Nindo took one last jab at the ceiling and grazed the traitors arm. Valentin screamed as his pursuer’s blade singed his left forearm. Losing his focus, Valentin could no longer suppress the weight of the turbo lift’s roof, but before the roof collapsed upon him the doors opened and he rolled out. The turbo lift had arrived in the lobby of the gigantic off world terminal. Seizing the moment Valentin bolted in search of an exit. Before Nindo could compose himself, after falling along with the ceiling of, what was once, a turbo lift. Having lost sight of his prey Nindo drew upon the force to search the crowd, it took him only a moment to detect Valentin Strago’s presence, scared and angry, heading to an exit. Past that, outside the terminal on the streets of Zeltros, Nindo could feel pain. Chapter 4 – Amidst the carnage Outside, debris of a republic starship litters one of the walkways along with remnants of, what was, an over passing walkway leading from the off world terminal. Hundreds of people lay dead. Either they were killed in the explosion on the platform above when the ship impacted, or they were unfortunate enough to have survived this, in which case they would have swiftly met their end by means of the collapsing rubble from the passages above. As the two Jedi approach the wreckage, once again locked in combat, any who are able flee the area do so swiftly, not wanting to be caught up in the escalating Jedi affair. The two combatants looked at each other. They somehow knew these would be the final moment of the conflict they had been waging. As they fought amongst the smouldering wreckage, hurling debris at each other with the force, Valentin knew he could not hold out much longer. Swiftly he searched his robes for his last resort, a thermal detonator. Hurling the explosive at the Jedi he charged after it blindly. Nindo caught sight of the incoming explosive in time and willed it away to the side with the force. But he was too late to stop his charging attacker. The grenade, still hovering to their side exploded at their side, as the violet blade of his attacker pierced Nindo’s chest. He could just feel his heart vaporize, as Valentin pressed the blade straight threw, before falling dead to the floor. Valentin started to leave when a woman’s hand grasped his leg. As he looked down he could see the hand belonged to a young Zeltron woman on the verge of death, sheltering her newborn child from the chaos surrounding them. She looked up at Valentin, her eyes told him everything she wanted to say, but could not bring herself to. That she would be gone in moments and she wanted her son to be cared for. At first Valentin was confused, but soon realised that the woman did not know that he was a Sith agent, for all she knew he was the Jedi Master he pretended to be. He realized then that this child would be an excellent excuse for why he was on Zeltros in the first place, when he reported back to the Jedi temple on Coruscant it would tie up many loose ends. He merely nodded to the woman and took the child from her arms. “What’s his name?” He asked. She smiled and said “Ter..rek Cor..so.”