The Assassin Enters the Fold

[Onasius Gruwel]

For generations, the Yevetha had hidden away, tucked themselves into the tiniest pockets of the galaxy, having no choice after the Yuuzhan Vong nearly wiped them out. It had been nearly a millennia since the Yevetha had seen their home planet, it had been nearly a millennia of hiding on the smallest patches of fertile land possible on some of the most obscure planets in the galaxy, thus their small population had little to no interaction with the Gulag plague that devastated the entire galaxy. They kept their numbers small anyhow, having a knack for getting themselves killed in ritualistic blood sacrifice and wholesale slaughter.

The caste system of the Yevetha still held true, even with numbers in the low hundreds, there was an obvious caste system, however all Yevetha were allowed to fight and to marry due to necessity, but they were not allowed to move up a caste and the higher caste could still kill them if necessary, though in their native tongue there is no word for convict nor incarcerate, and they had no jails or prisons. It was up to the lower castes to learn Galactic basic, which was at this point a formality, but they were training their young to one day send a supposed champion chosen by their spiritual leader, the Darama. This champion would go out and harness their Force powers, something they learned about in their decades of space travel before settling in a place secluded enough. They maintained their xenophobia through years of seclusion, however they knew they could use the vermin to their advantage and learn their ways before they return to the galaxy and exterminate them. After generations of breeding and training, it appeared they found their supposed champion…


Space over Korriban

The Yevetha were very untrusting of technology after the years of seclusion and having natural weapons equipped to their forearms already, they were lucky when the spacecraft they loaded him onto still worked. Even more miraculous was the fact that they still knew how to get it going to their destination, Korriban. Onasius had been an adult in the Yevetha society for nearly ten years now and his training was over, it had been time to send him into the galaxy, ready to learn from the Sith. The Darama had felt his strong connection with the Force from a young age and had killed his lower caste parents and taken him for himself, having him trained under his guard. It was very strange for Onasius to be in a ship, even stranger for him was the kick when he entered hyperspace, his stomach churning and aching until he exited into the Korriban system above the desert planet.

The lights in his rickety spacecraft flickered, an ominous sign for the unknowing traveler cast into his destiny without a second thought. He had one mission and that was to bring glory back to the Yevethans he had left back at home. It meant he would have to submit to these vermin in the Sith, his faith was strong enough to trust in this theory of the Force and his ability to wield it in the future. He would learn from the Sith and the rest of the galaxy and he would eventually use it to kill every last one of them.

Either the defenses didn’t notice him landing on the planet’s surface or they sensed he was sensitive to the Force and they let him through. Or perhaps they had no clue what his body scan read since the Yevetha were thought extinct for eight hundred years and they wanted to see what he was when he landed before they killed him, either way Onasius found himself plummeting toward the desert at an alarming rate, and with his lack of knowledge in ships he quickly realized he was making a crash landing. He let out a loud curse in his native language before everything went white.

Korriban

Onasius shook his head as he got up, he had a terrible headache and the ship was in ruins in the side of a sand dune, luckily the same sand dune took a lot of the impact and ejected the Sith hopeful into the sand too leaving him with minor cuts and scrapes. As the six foot tall man stood, he extended his dew claws to their full three feet; he sensed something in the dunes. Using the galactic basic he had learned, he heeded a warning. “Show yourself.”

 

[Valik]

Valik stood somewhere in the dunes of Korriban, observing a skeletally skinny man wander about it's dark-side filled sands. The man called him out, but did not see Valik. Valik considered showing himself, for the man was of some alien species he had never seen before, but decided against it. He could collect a sample without showing himself if he needed to. And still, it was much more fun to play with the skeletal man, learn how he thought, the culture of the aliens. So Valik remained hidden from sight, and used the Force and the walls of the canyons to amplify his voice, making it seem to come from everywhere.

"Sometimes a man must learn to fight and hunt without his eyes or ears. Can you do the same?" Valik said, his voice echoing from everywhere. He would not be able to find him with his eyes or ears, but perhaps Valik could be found with another sense.

 

[Onasius Gruwel]

The dunes of Korriban twisted about, constantly reshaping themselves in a chaotic game of musical chairs that had endured for millennia. The chaos on the planet seemed to be more a motif, the subtle nuances reeked of a dark force, the boulders and cliff faces even seemed to be twisted into an unholy design. Little did the Yevetha, trained extensively in the mystical side of his culture, know that this was his first inklings of the Force sprouting from his vile being. The darkness he felt was his first taste of real power, not power in a material sense, not yet at least, but power in an absolute sense. The Yevetha who had crashed from the skies above, right into the center of whatever the hell planet he was on, he had his first taste of power and from that point on his thirst would be unquenchable.

His spiny head grimaced at the mocking tone of his watcher, insulting a Yevetha was never taken lightly and always met with a quick reaction. Anger started to bubble over the dilapidated Sith hopeful, little did he know that this was his first test, all he wanted to do was find this mocking tone, to reach out with his hands and feel his voice diminish into another grain of dust floating along Korriban, never to be heard again. However, with the vast expanse before him and the walls of the canyons beside him, he had little idea where it was coming from even though it sounded as though it had come from everywhere. This trickery was something the soldier had little time for, whatever vermin had decided to poke at the hornet’s nest would get stung by the hornet’s nest.

Continuing forward, Onasius knew whatever dark forces were oozing from the planet, they were leading him forward; it wasn’t a conscious decision but more of an unconscious guiding. His booted feet made their trek over the dunes leaving tracks in his wake only to get swallowed by the desert once more he knew he would never see the wreckage of a ship again and he cared little for that, technology was inferior to a person anyways. The Yevetha called back out to his tormenter, hoping to be closer or far enough away to not have to deal with him anymore. “Show yourself.” He demanded once more, unsure of what it was he was dealing with.

 

[Valik]

The skeletal man came forward, getting ever closer to Valik. Perhaps this one had potential. Then he stopped, took a position, and growled his demands once again. He was so close too. Valik thought to himself. Another few meters to his right and he'd have found Valik, hiding his presence with a belt designed to display an image that imitated the constantly rotating dunes of Korriban. Still . . . the man obviously had some strength in the Force, just not enough focus. Even if he failed Valik as a student, he could always be valuable as a test subject. Valik began to use the Force to amplify his voice once again, making it echo and bounce from all locations.

"Again, you make demands, yet are not even powerful enough to find me. Perhaps however you could be taught true strength . . ." Valik said then let the thought hang in the air for a moment, make the creature think about it. "No, if you can't even find me then you have no future in the Sith, or out of it for that matter."

 

[Onasius Gruwel]

Onasius took a moment to ponder the man’s statement, perhaps he was a Sith trying to find a spark of talent in the Yevethan, perhaps he was a murderer trying to lure the alien into a trap and eat him for dinner, or perhaps the crash had knocked some screws loose in the soldier’s head and he was wandering through a desert on a planet he had no idea the name of, searching for a voice inside his head. With the three options in his thoughts and dew claws extended, Gruwel continued toward the dark inklings he felt, their promises of power filling his head with thoughts he had never had before, almost day dreams of him wielding the unlimited power he was promised by the Yevetha who he had left on his search for the Sith.

It was in that moment he realized why he was there, he knew he had to find the Sith and through them he would achieve whatever it was that this dark energy was telling him was his destiny. Wherever the Sith were they were the holders of the keys to his future and after he received his keys from them he could unlock his destiny and become the conqueror he was born to be. Onasius Gruwel was the chosen of the Yevetha and he wouldn’t let a vermin alien taunt him into believing otherwise. The beast let out a bloodcurdling roar, his anger had taken control of him. “You tell me not of my destiny!” He rumbled, extending his claws out to their fullest length, a full three feet.

Red filled the soldier’s vision, he felt no emotion but anger and rage, this man, Sith or not dared question his destiny, he dared question a Yevetha, no vermin alien had the right to do that. The fiery warm air of Korriban teased his nostrils, breathing in the vile Dark Side and allowing it to infect him this allowed him to leave his emotions unchecked to wreak havoc on his prey. His eyes immediately darted to a section of dunes that had no figure in it, they just flowed with the rest of them, however, when his eyes looked upon these rolling dunes he felt more anger than he could imagine, the hot air might as well have been hellfire with as fast as he charged toward it, little did the monster know but he had given into the Force and he had allowed it to spearhead him into his destiny.

Dew claws extended, he reached them back, ready to stab at the assumed sand mound, he felt it was just him lashing out at the landscape out of anger, however the Dark spirits on Korriban had shown him how to use his emotions to discover his prey even when trying to hide.

 

[Valik]

Valik watched as the skeletal man began to track his scent in the Force. It was a difficult thing, to find a Force Signature such as his in a place like Korriban, where the darkness of the planet and the darkness of his soul seemed to bleed together, but closer and closer he came.

"You tell me not of my destiny." The skeleton screamed another guttural roar. It was obvious the man had a sense of pride, perhaps even of divine strength. Perhaps the culture he came from simply did not have enough Force-sensitives for him to learn that he wasn't the only one who could learn a couple of tricks. The man came a few meters away, still not seeing, but feeling the darkside pressing him towards his objective. He stopped, and extended a blade from his hand. An interesting development, he wondered how much calcium the man had to intake compared to normal, what pain the 'sheathing' and 'unsheathing' process made the user felt, how sharp the blade was, whether or not he could apply the genetic to animals. But I'm getting off topic. Valik said to himself. He had a hunter in his midsts, a valuable tool in the Force, and biologically. Valik deactivated his belt and held up a hand, using the Force to restrict motion in the man's hands, rendering him unable to attack with his bone-claws.

"Let us be clear. No matter how strong you are compared to the rest of your people, out here in the galaxy and in the Sith Empire you are only another hopeful. A strong and interesting hopeful." Valik complemented and showed his interest. "But a hopeful none the less." Valik said then picked up his lightsaber and ignited it. "I could kill you right now, and there are many in the Sith who could, and would. I think you are useful, and I think you have potential. If you are willing to learn I can teach you to surpass these men, take control of your destiny, but I will require your time, focus, and obedience. If you accept the road will be long, arduous, and painful, but the reward is unimaginable power."

 

[Onasius Gruwel]

Onasius had found his target in his moment of anger, he lashed out without thought and without purpose, trusting in his hatred for his target to show him the way, his moment of rage had transitioned to a moment of clarity. He felt the power in the man once he laid his eyes on him, he felt the darkness all around him choke up the air, he felt the Force gripping back his arms when he went in to attack, he felt the power of his target. There was something to learn from this man.

“I submit.” It burned his very being to say that, however the promise of power was too much to pass up.

 

[Valik]

Valik could feel the anger that flowed through the man as he accepted Valik's command. He was smart enough to know the path to power lead through Valik's teaching, but he did not enjoy the prospect of submitting to his authority. Perhaps he hated Sith, perhaps he held himself as stronger, just less experienced then Valik, perhaps he even looked down on Valik because he was a human, or a kiffar if the man could tell Valik was one without any Kiffar tattoos. It mattered little however, as it showed the man's ambition, a fire to fuel.

"Excellent. First lesson, you are a quick man, a lithe man, and you can form weapons through your own biology. Therefore you are naturally suited to the role of an assassin. But you'll never sneak up on someone by announcing your presence and demanding they appear." Valik chastised as he released his control of the man's hand, his saber still ignited in case of an attack from the man. He then began walking towards his lab and motioned for the man to follow.

"There are wild hounds here, called Tuk'ata. They are Sith Spawn of an elder age. They are viscous, ruthless, and they hunt in packs. Because of the constant shifting of the sands they will leave no tracks, and they only bark at the cornering of prey. Find a pack of Tuk'ata and kill the alpha-male and no-one else." Valik instructed. The Tuk'ata were deadly animals, and alerting his presence to the rest of the pack would spell almost certain death, for an equipmentless apprentice, even one who could swords out of his bones.

 

[Onasius Gruwel]

Onasius turned on his heel, heading back toward the unforgiving desert that just spit him out. His leather boots left no trace in the sand, his footfalls getting swallowed up in the great beyond just as the Tuk’ata’s, he was already on par with them there. He had little idea what the beast he was hunting even looked like but he figured there weren’t be many hounds out in the desert, and the alpha-male would be easy enough to spot. The tricky part was going to be getting him alone without alerting the rest of the pack who likely had better hearing and seeing than he did. The Yevetha had no water or food to speak of either and would have to survive on an empty stomach, providing yet another challenge for him to overcome.

The desert was winding and unforgiving, the harsh winds whipping back and forth, nibbling at the Yevetha’s flesh, it seemed even the winds on this planet had dark energies about them. The newly anointed assassin of the Sith tried his hardest to avoid breathing the stinging desert air, drawing his arm in front of his face when the wind would pick up, he would awake with many scabs on his arm but he cared little for that when in comparison to ultimate power and bringing back the fearsome Yevetha, tearing the galaxy apart from its core. The Sith were the stepping stone he needed to be able to reach his success. He needed them and soon they would learn just why they needed him, all he had to do was kill a mutt.

It was another three hours before Onasius came over a rock face to see a hunting party of Yuk’ata scouting the ridge for easy pickings walking alone in the valley below. It made Onasius smile, making the hunters the hunted, turning the tables on those who thought themselves invincible. The fiery yellow of the Dark Side twitched within him, his eyes flashing a shimmering goldenrod for just a moment, the Force was kindling deep down inside the demon. It seemed the seeds of the Dark Side were sprouting. The assassin drew his breath silently while his eyes read their body language, they hadn’t seen him yet that was for sure. There were four of them in total, the alpha male being very obvious in the group. The question was now, how would he get the alpha-male and only the alpha-male?

Luckily opportunity presented itself in the form of a cry for help off in the distance; the cry was peculiar, because it sounded completely helpless which shouldn’t attract a beast’s attention however, the alpha male’s eyes closed and then opened quickly, this time they were filled with bloodlust. The hulking creature let out a howl back and chased off after the sound, none of the other Tuk’ata going with, this was his moment. The Yevetha watched the colossal mass of beast take off past his hiding space and onward toward a cave near the area a couple miles back toward the Sith’s laboratories, Onasius following suit and going after him, trying to avoid detection from the other creatures atop the rocks. He jump from rock to rock, avoiding touching the ground and making the snapping and crunching sounds a Tuk’ata would hear in an instant, that would surely spell death for the Sith hopeful.

He was a half a mile behind the Tuk’ata and keeping up pace pretty well after he was able to start actually running. He was out of view from the remaining beasts and he was keeping after the alpha male pretty well he figured this would be very easy. It was only a little bit long before the male would be there and only a little after that the assassin would be there, arriving just in time for the prey to finish off whatever made the yelling sound and the Yevetha to sweep in and take care of business. This beast would not come between Onasius and his training, the pride of the Yevetha rested on it.

Gruwel watched as the Sith monster made his ascent toward the cave entrance, his tail whipping behind him, his stance was very offensive, and he was obviously there for combat. Onasius used that time to clear the gap between the two of them fairly swiftly, he was able to run freely now and he was very fast, able to reach speeds of up to nearly fifteen miles an hour on foot, it was one of the perks of the Yevetha’s light frames. The assassin soon followed the Tuk’ata alpha-male to the entrance of the cave, he was growling and hollering deep inside the cave, a ferocious battle was going on within. Onasius decided he would ambush it once it killed whatever was in the cave, strike when they are weakest, especially a beast as big as this one.

It was a few more minutes before the grumbling stopped, another howl was heard, this one was from the elder Tuk’ata, it sounded again when there was no response, this time its call sounded almost as though it were asking for the creature by name, expecting a sudden response. There was no response, enraged, the Tuk’ata stormed out of the cave, releasing a venomous scream once it exited, teeth snarling and claws scratching at the ground out of pure angst. It wasn’t at its weakest, but this is as good as it was going to get for Onasius, the beast’s thoughts were cloudy with the unfocused aggression toward whatever happened in the cave and Onasius would have to use that against him.

The silent assassin leapt from atop the entrance to the cave, dew claws extended once more. The force of his jump gave him a lot of downward inertia, bringing in enough force on the tip of his dew claw to do some serious damage. The Tuk’ata was taken by surprise and Onasius landed a direct hit on its shoulder, under all of its natural padding and armor. The wounded beast tore back in pain, it was likely calling for backup, Onasius would have to make this fast. Another claw went directly into the same shoulder on the other side, effectively eliminating that limb, the beast lashed out, claws catching the Yevetha in the chest and drawing blood through his clothes. Onasius ended the deed with a swift attack to its neck, killing the animal.

Onasius realized that the hounds would soon be on his tail when they what had happened, he had no time to stick around and figure out what was going on in the cave. He didn’t want to find out either, hearing whatever it had been signaling finally calling back, the high pitched howl echoing through the rocks. He slid down the rock face and made a straight line back toward his master.

A half mile before he got back to his master, Onasius heard the chilling calls from the pack of Tuk’ata lamenting the loss of their leader, their sorrow filled the canyon, giving Onasius only more reason to get back to his master as soon as possible, it was only there that he could be safe and get his wounds healed.

 

[Valik]

As Valik's chrono showed it had been nearly four hours since Valik had sent the alien man out into the wilderness, he felt comfort. The long amount of time it took for the man to find his target meant one of two things, that he was dead and Valik no longer had to deal with it and would collect a new body for autopsy, or that the man was smart and patient, not rushing his kill.

Aaaaoooooooooooo!!! Valik heard the howls of the Tuk'ata, yet not the deep, bloodcurdling howl of the alphamale he had heard from the Tuk'ata pack when it moved in a few months ago. Valik smiled, his new apprentice's task was complete. He reached out with the Force and felt the presence of the assassin, around a half-mile away from the lab, but closing in. He was fleeing the pack. Valik snarled, he would have to question the man on whether or not he had alerted him to their presence of if they had merely found their dead alphamale. Still, the man was most likely being chased by the pack, and while Valik had no care to coddle his apprentices, his task was a rather difficult one for an untrained savage.

Blip, boop. Valik's computer replied as he pressed a few buttons and sent signals through it. Valik could hear repulsors hum as three droids left his laboratory, set on an intercept course with the skeletal man. They were not quick enough to arrive immediately, nor were they well-armed enough to take on the Tuk'ata by themselves. They were just powerful enough to be a sizeable nuisance to the Tuk'ata, yet not smother the assassin's potential for growth. Most importantly however, they had cameras, and gave Valik an insight as to what the assassin would do.

 

[Onasius Gruwel]

The Yevetha, though technology challenged, were not stupid and knew what a droid was when they saw one, however Onasius was very surprised to see the Sith’s droind nonetheless. The two droids met Onasius and a cold standoff ensued, knowing the Tuk’ata were close behind him didn’t know how to best use the droids considering he had never had make use of one before. Seconds turned closer to a minute, the fast approaching beasts would care little how the droids were used once the battle started and Onasius knew that, so using what little knowledge of droids he had, he mustered the command, “Stay.” He then took off toward the rock face a few meters away.

The Tuk’ata were close enough that you could hear their battle cries, torn at the loss of their leader they would stop at nothing to rip the Sith apart and avenge the fallen alpha-male. It only took them the same time it took Gruwel to assume position to arrive at the droids, stopping in their tracks to examine them. The cameras would have shown the beasts approaching the droids, their hungry fangs in a nasty snarl, then it would have shown them looking up before the one closest to the camera was dropped, Onasius landing on top of it blade first. The Yevetha then let out a frenzied war cry, ripping the fallen Tuk’ata off of his weapon and turning to face two droids sent by Valik, their last transmission would have been the Yevetha’s dew claws ripping both of them at the same time. Onasius had no time for such foolish Sith technology and he had no interest in trusting the Sith or their creations, the Tuk’ata were his.

The droids had enough time to get out a few rounds before Gruwel stuck them but they didn’t do much damage, a testament to his master’s faith in his abilities. The angry Tuk’ata were now facing off against the murderer of their leader, years of twisted Sith magic made the creatures pure evil, feeding off the dark energies on the planet just as much as the Sith did, cutting Gruwel’s only advantage. He quickly realized he needed to act fast and he leapt at the two, trying to catch them off balance. Sweeping his claws at the beast on the right, he caught the creature just above its shoulder and under its neck, not enough to kill it however. The enraged monster then roared back in pain, lashing out at Gruwel and missing just barely. It had already started running for the assassin by the time he got back on his feet, intent on killing it before he had a chance to regain composure.

The Yevetha was much quicker than the hound expected and he met the sick beast’s snapping jaw with a swift kick, knocking it back enough for him to focus on the other attacking Tuk’ata at the moment. The second non-injured creature had been waiting for a chance to strike at the Sith and it figured now was as good a time as any, leaping forward to take a bite out of Onasius. Fangs sharp as knives grazed the Sith, the battle was slowly wearing him down and he was starting to get sloppy on his dodges. The wound on his chest was still bleeding, the two Tuk’ata now circling him opposite each other could smell the blood which only fueled their hunger for the Sith’s flesh. Gruwel would have to figure something else out other than taking them on one at a time if he wanted to make it out of this alive.

When both monsters leapt at their prey, Onasius dropped to the sandy ground below, hoping they both would jump over him, and when they did he made his move. Boom, his claw eviscerated the beast’s flesh and tearing right through his ribcage. It seemed as though the second of the two Tuk’ata was down, leaving the third and least injured out of the pack alive and angrier than ever. Onasius’s eyes flared with yellows as he met the Sith spawn’s ethereal stare. The two of them were in primal mode, there was only one outcome for this battle for both of them, and only one of them would be right. Onasius hissed ancient prayers of the Yevetha, requesting the Tuk’ata’s blood be blessed by the gods before a Yevetha could spill it so the creature would be cleansed and the kill would have some honor even if very little.

The desert air was thick with the Dark Side now, the ancient spirits enticed by the ensuing battle, both creatures felt their presence, it seemed their battle had turned into a show. The two predators started making circles around each other, both refusing to break their stare and lose face, finally the Tuk’ata let out a snarl and a bark before rushing for Onasius, in an attempt to maul him. As the beast was midair and about to land on the Sith, Gruwel caught the dog and fell backwards, pushing the monster off of him, using his own force against him to get him away, quickly regaining his footing and squaring off with the beast again.

Tensions were high in the valley that had been quickly transformed into a graveyard for Tuk’ata and Sith droids alike. Knowing the Sith tucked away in his laboratory would know immediately of his success or failure either way, the droids were sent as a formality, and it was better if his mentor knew not how a Yevetha fought. Both combatants were roaring, bloodlust fueling each and every move they made, the Dark Side only stirring the deep emotions, leaving both their raging spirits unchecked. It would take a long time before Onasius would ever learn to harness his emotions, and until then he would use the unfathomable rage brought on by his feudal species as a tool, driving it directly into his prey’s hearts.

The Tuk’ata was the first to make a move again, this time it ran toward the Sith and faked left, only to jump from the right, successfully faking out the assassin and leaving him wide open for attack, Onasius was seconds away from death. The blood leaking out of his chest had weakened the Yevetha and the ensuing battle in the heat without any food or water had only done more to weaken him, the only thing sustaining him were the Dark energies flooding his body and the pure rage that bubbled deep within, however it appeared that those had failed him and the Tuk’ata would soon land and claim his prize.

It was in that moment that something inside the Sith snapped, he let the fear in, letting it take over, seep into his veins, feed his growing hostilities, for the first time the Yevetha felt death’s cold embrace in the form of the Tuk’ata, his claws making contact with Onasius’s frail figure, surely microseconds from making the killing blow, and that was when it happened: a dark energy exploded from the Sith’s skin when the beast made contact, sending the Tuk’ata flying backwards into a rock face. The Force had guided the Yevetha to his destiny once more, even if Onasius had no idea what had happened. He spoke another prayer to the gods, this time thanking them for their protection. He then made his way over to the broken creature lying on the ground, ending the battle once and for all. The Sith hopeful had defeated the Tuk’ata scourge he was sent out to find, his destiny was finally realized, and hopefully now the Sith would accept him amongst their ranks.

Making his way back toward the laboratory, Onasius could feel his life forces draining quickly, the beasts had landed their fair share of blows on the Sith too. When Valik laid eyes on Onasius he would see the true champion of the Yevetha, covered in blood and injuries, but willing to survive and ensure his rank amongst the Sith.

 

[Valik]

Valik watched from the comfort of his lab as the alien attacked and was attacked by the vicious sith hounds known as the Tuk'ata. As the alien first saw the droid Valik noticed how confused the alien was at it's first site, as if he didn't know what to do with the drone. He told it to stay then came around and flanked one of the beasts, with a blade-first plunge from above. Valik was impressed with how relentless the creature was, consistently killing members of the pack despite his damages.

Soon enough however, his droids were destroyed, not being meant for the heavy desert combat. Which was perfectly fine, as Valik did not expect them to survive the ordeal, what being as poorly armed as they were, but he had hoped for more tape on the alien and how he fought. It was a very brutal style, and that combined with the man's confusion to the droids indicated he was most likely indicated he was from a primitive culture. Perhaps the Sith had served him as an 'out' of his society, or perhaps he even went to learn of the Sith and bring his talents back to his uneducated people. Either way, he would get more than he bargained for from the Sith and integrating himself into their government.

With no video stream, Valik was content to prepare a few pills, stitches, needles, and other medical equipment. The way things were headed the assassin would either return bloodied and near death, or stay there to be eated by the remaining Tuk'ata. One ending consisted of Valik treating the man, the other dissecting. Regardless of path, he knew from the video he would get a blood sample, and perhaps he could even get a crack of those bone blades as well. If Valik could mimic the process he could mass-produce seemingly 'weaponless' assassins. Finally he sensed the creature coming towards him. Valik accomplished a few more preparations, then saw the man coming towards his lab, with significant wear and tear from the battle. Valik held up a gun, and shot the man.

Afterwards Valik walked over to the now incapacitated alien and removed the dart attached to his neck. He went down to pick up the man, and after an unsuccessful lift was impressed with the muscle and bone density the man possessed. So, he lifted him with the Force and brought him into his laboratory. After taking blood, tissue, and saliva samples and putting them out of plain sight he cleaned the blood off the man, stitched up his wounds, and applied a small amount of bacta.

The next day the man awoke with all of his wounds fixed, cleaned, and probably feeling but a fraction of the pain he felt when he came in. Valik was but a few feet away when he noticed the creature gaining confidence.

"You have proven yourself quick, silent, and strong. Not nearly as strong as you need to be, but much stronger than the average sentient could hope to achieve. As I teach you you will grow by pushing yourself beyond your limits and making new ones. For this reason, your experience with the Tuk'ata will be the last time I assist you. I have tended your wounds, so you run no risk of dying, but you will need food before you do something like that again." Valik said to the creature, catching him up on what had happened since his state of unconsciousness.

"You should know however, that nothing comes without a price, and not to expect such treatment without payment. " Though you've already paid for this one in blood. Valik thought to himself, thinking of his hidden blood samples. "When you are ready we shall continue your training."

 

[Onasius Gruwel]

“I am ready to prove myself yet again, master.” He had no need for food nor water, the Yevetha was ready to prove himself to the Sith.

 

[Valik]

Valik chuckled at the skeleton's remark at his generosity. He was surprised at the creature's lack of concern for what happen to him, or Valik's shooting him. While the man might have been a natural at stealth and killing Tuk'ata, his apparent intelligence was decreasing in Valik's eyes.

"You have proven yourself foolish for refusing my offer of food. Would you slash a man without a claw or blade? Would you drive a ship without fuel? Bite a man with no teeth? Half of a battle is preparation. I can train you to fight when you are lacking strength, but increasing your peak strength is of more importance right now." Valik said and began walking, motioning for the skeleton to follow. It was a very quick walk, until Valik motioned for him to sit at a table. Valik then went over and found a dead, but preserved tuk'ata. After running a sample and examining the skeleton's biology he determined the creature literally fed on blood, and thus the tuk'ata would be more nutritional to the man uncooked. He placed the dead tuk'ata just within reach of the man's sight, then dropped it and returned to him.

"I want you to obtain the meal without moving." He said, as he readied but did not display lightning, prepared to electrify and ruin the dead creature if the assassin did not use his telekinesis quickly enough.