The Pilgrimage Pt. One

[Leo Vandermolen]

~ HAROK ~​

Cold, steel boots touched down upon the long dead flesh of the planet known as Harok, the planet sat motionless and isolated in the farthest reaches of the Outer Rim. A rugged, forgotten face peered at the structure ahead through his helmet, the first step on a long road ahead. The planet was once a monstrosity, an almost living creature that had slaughtered its inhabitants and ended up consuming itself in endless hunger, and all because of the greed of a single man.

Leo had been here once before, in a dream, though it had felt real at the time, he’d felt the slight tug of the dark side as it writhed in this forgotten world, waiting to be unleashed upon those who strayed too close, but he would conquer it. Since his imprisonment and subsequent escape on Utapu by the First Order, Leo had discovered a new side to himself, albeit it was a side that was frequently on the verge of relentlessly murdering people, it was a new side nonetheless. He’d not become insane so to speak, just more in touch with his emotions, and he was enjoying it.

 

[Leo Vandermolen]

But now here he was, calmly making his way to the large, decayed nexus that he’d seen in his dream so many months ago. At the time he’d thought nothing of it, just another abnormal nightmare to add to the list, there had been more important things to do, but now that his checklist was clear, he made some time to see this place in person.

Dead tendrils littered the area, laying curled and brittle, standing testament to the grotesquery that had once lived here, smothering the entire planet, becoming the entire planet, but now only the scraps remained. The planet, however, hosted something much more powerful that interested Leo. The foreboding monument that he now trudged ever so delicately upon ebbed and flowed with dark side powers, a feeling so strong that even in his dream, long before he’d been broken by the Zambrano woman and her lackeys, he could feel its force, and now he craved it.

 

[Leo Vandermolen]

Leo reached the summit, not too sure of what he would discover. The remains of whatever had been built before the planet’s reckoning had crumbled to dust, a shell of dead flesh serving as an outline and a glimpse as to what shape the structure may have been. There was no wind here, there wasn’t really anything except the light footfalls of Leo’s boots as he moved about the large monument.

Until the silence was broken with noise, words. “My my.” An unfamiliar voice cooed, seeming to be right next to Leo’s ear, but when he turned to the side suddenly, nobody was there. “Now who do we have here?”

Ahh, Leo thought to himself, I should have known that such a presence of dark side energy would entail a force ghost. He would play it cool for now and see what he could learn. “Hello there.” Leo replied casually, scanning the area to see if whomever the voice belonged to would making themself seen.

 

[Leo Vandermolen]

And as if on que, a figure shimmered before him in the blink of an eye, a frail-looking man, his hair grey and matted, his face a tapestry of scars. "Hello Indeed." He responded in a sharp, gravely voice. Something about his presence was both soothing and off-putting at the same time, perhaps it was so off putting because he seemed so soothing, so fragile. "And what, if i may be inclined..." The spirit continued, "Brings you to my forgotten residence?"

His curiosity had been peaked, "Well, I'm in search of something new." Leo chimed, "You see, my life's been going through some interesting changes as of late." Leo made sure to incline his tone, hinting at something more to the ghost as he spoke. "...and right now, I've no real reason to actually be here, but alas, here i am." He shrugged, the lightweight armorweave and beskar plate rising and falling with his motion.

"Mmph, here you are." The spirit echoed. "And what exactly would it be you're searching for? If i may so inquire." The conversation had began to get interesting...

 

[Leo Vandermolen]

Their chat continued on for some time, discussing their ideals and goals, the current going ons of the galaxy. The life, or rather, un-life of a force ghost had been rather lonely it seemed, with being confined to isolation on a dead and long forgotten planet. It seemed that even Leo himself could not match the level of brooding this ghost had been mulling in over the last 800 years.

Through their extensive conversation, Leo had learned that this man's name was Asdon, the Sith King who had ruled this planet and was the one to subsequently destroy it in search of greater power, fun. The conversation was nearing its end after nearly and hour of theological debate, ideological agreements and the odd bit of humor, though Leo wasn't quite sure how the concept of intergalactic humor had progressed in 800 years, it was nonetheless quite amusing.

"So..." Asdon began to skew the conversation towards its conclusion. "It's clear by your stories and the mere fact you can see and speak to me right now for such an extended period of time that you have a strong connection to the dark side of the force. I would I not be mistaken in assuming that you wish to develop these powers?" He asked quizzically. Leo gave a curt nod in response, standing up from the dead tendril he had taken to leaning on for the past twenty minutes. "And, what is it that you desire most at the moment."

Leo thought on it for a moment, but inside he'd already decided on an answer days ago. "Well..." Leo spoke up, "I've always wanted my own saber..."