The Sea of Memories

[Darth Bellum]

Jaemus

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The Simulacrum

The Sith General had found himself reeling in agony, his mind being driven mad by the collective minds of the countless he had consumed in his episode of rage and torment. Though it was not frequent to come up, there were few times where he was unable to suppress the voices in his head. He had been stripped out of his armor to prevent the innate failsafe built into it from causing any permanent damage due to the extensiveness of his episode, the only part left being the respirator that allowed him to breathe properly. He was caged within a reinforced container designed to contain even the most volatile of specimens and surrounded by Ysalamir cages to limit the usage of his Force powers that would have ended up crushing everyone and everything around him. His vocoded voice howled as he alternated between gripping his head and slamming on the walls of his mobile prison as the dropship made for the surface of Jaemus. There was one facility that had been established on the surface that had proven useful to easing the Sith General's torment; the Simulacrum.

A few Legion soldiers accompanying the Sith General along with his trusted Lieutenant, Zyana Saryn sat not too far from the containment chamber, the soldiers muttering amongst themselves. While they were among the best the Legion had to offer as members of Vexen's detachment, even the hardened veteran soldiers seemed uneasy with their leader pounding against the containment cell and ready to tear them apart in a berserk rage. Lieutenant Saryn however, was calm and composed as she monitored their flight path, having scheduled an immediate Simulacrum run to 'alleviate' the General of his burden. The pilot would speak over the intercomm as they approached their destination, "Arriving on site, ETA five minutes..." The Lieutenant would get up, shortly followed by the other men aboard the dropship as it made for the surface. The transport would hover in front of the large floating cube known as The Simulacrum.

The transport would lower itself to the ground as the ramp lowered, allowing for two Legion soldiers and Lieutenant Saryn to step out, accompanied by the containment cage that held Kor Vexen and four more soldiers. After a brief conversation with one of the doctors that had come out to greet them and the presentation of proper security clearance, the group would make for the grav lift that led up to the massive floating cube structure. The containment cage that held Vexen would be taken into what appeared to be a surgical bay. A few technicians would walk up to the cage with a pair of tube like extensions that fed into a wall before slotting them into the cage, a sedative gas being pumped into the cage that would wear out the berserk Sith. This only seemed to aggravate Vexen who relentlessly pounded on the walls. A minute or so later though his movements slowly became sluggish before he fell to his knees and slumped forward, having been sedated.

The Legion soldiers would arm themselves with stunsticks in the event that Vexen had awoken early while doctors pulled a cart over to him and began injecting him with a series of fluids designed to make the subconscious more lucid and easily memorable. A lone doctor would rub a substance at the base of Vexen's neck before holding up an injector gun to the Anzat's neck before squeezing the trigger, inserting a microchip to analyze the brain activity and allow the researchers and other observers to see what Vexen saw from his past before the unconscious Sith was carried to the main floor of the Simulacrum and placed in a harness. The personnel would quickly vacate the floor as the room turned to a pitch black. A voice on the intercomm would speak, "Initiating memory analysis and recovery in five...four...three...two...one..." The pitch black darkness would vanish as it was slowly replaced by an orange glow from the sunset of a remote planet, seeming to be barren and devoid of any plant life. Vexen's body could be seen jerking in response as he seems to become active.

 

[Darth Bellum]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN9gcEZMZO8​

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[ The Silent Knight | Katastor ]
[ Planet Garel | Desert ]

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All was dark in the endless void that Vexen floated through. To what extent did Vexen find himself in such a position to be floating in the sea of memories, where he saw nothing with his own eyes but still felt everything around him. A growing desire swelled within him, an insatiable hunger to consume all that stood before him. But it was different compared to what Vexen had lived with for the past decades. Rather than just a controllable desire to feed, all he could feel was an ever consuming and gnawing hunger in such a primal way that he was slowly being driven mad. Then it came to him, like a sudden rush of air and light as the darkness flashed before his eyes and faded to reveal the sky of Garel as his body twitched in response, spasming as if he was just abruptly woken from a dream. Garel...He remembered that planet...It was where he was raised, during the time of the Galactic Empire following the fall of the Republic. He was laying on his back, staring at a smoke-filled sky, the scent of burning wood around him. Everything was a haze to him, the muted sounds of screams and explosions ringing in his ears. Embers floated in the air as he grabbed his head, both the insatiable hunger gnawing at his mind and the physical pain of something having struck him in the head prior to his awakening. Blood trickled from his forehead where a gash was after a stray piece of debris had hit him.

He sat upright as he gripped his head, everything spinning around him. The screams and explosions became louder and more clear as the haze was fading. Vexen laid on his back and rolled onto his stomach before pushing himself up off the ground shakily. His vision was still blurred as he looked down at his hands. They were young, like that of a child, but covered in claw marks and dried blood as well as scars. Looking at the rest of his body, he could see that he was in ragged and tattered clothes, his form looking malnourished. He could hear footsteps coming closer to his locked chamber door followed by a thud as the guard stationed outside of his 'cell' had been shot. Vexen would ready himself as he waited for the footsteps to come closer, climbing up into the rafters above before the sound of a key was heard sliding into the lock before turning. A single pirate pushed the door open as he raised his blaster sweeping the room to find no one there. Vexen would let a quiet and ragged breath. The scent of blood and someone entering his cell after such isolation...It brought out the primal instinct to feed within him.

The pirate would hear something as he turned to look up towards the source only to have the adolescent Vexen drop on top of him. The pirate's blaster would be knocked out of his hands as Vexen landed on him, sending them both to the ground as Vexen swiftly grabbed the pirate by the throat and began to repeatedly slam the back of the man's skull against the floor while choking him. He just needed the man unconscious but alive in order to finally feed. The pirate would struggle beneath him as Vexen reached over and grabbed a chunk of duracrete and hit it over the man's head, knocking him out. Vexen would be straddling the pirate's chest as he looked up to the sky through the hole in his cell. At long last, he could feed. He would toss the chunk of duracrete off to the side unceremoniously as he leaned forward, close to the unconscious man's face as he let out a ragged breath. His cheeks would open up to reveal a pair of proboscis sliding out, making their way to the man's nostrils as he gripped his head. From there he would begin to feed by consuming the man's "Soup" as his species called it.

A shudder would run down the length of Vexen's spine as he finished his meal, the tendrils receding back into his cheeks as his head twitched slightly. He wanted more...The measly meal provided to him was nowhere near enough to sate his hunger. He would look over at the blaster off to the side as he picked it up. He had never in his life picked up and used a blaster before, but after consuming the pirate's mind, he was able to gain the experience and skills of the cutthroat. Holding the blaster and knowing how to use it was about as natural to him as breathing was. A stun setting would make it much easier for Vexen to feed as he soon began on his feeding frenzy, consuming kin and enemy alike without hesitation. All those years kept in captivity, away from the ability to feed on knowledge, and only a drop of it was given as he feasted on all who were there. Soon the sounds of screams, explosion and all noise outside the crackling burn of flame would be replaced with silence.

~

Vexen wandered the desert, a blaster in one hand and an electrostaff in the other, his feet dragging through the pale sand along with the end of one staff. He felt without purpose, without direction and still the hunger remained despite feasting on so many people. In a desert where there was not a sign of life to be anywhere for as far as the eye could see. Vexen would pause as he reached the crest of a sand dune, staring out into the endless sea of sand. Amidst the pale sand, Vexen felt something; it was indescribable to him at the time, but time would make it a familiar presence. And from the source of this feeling, he saw a single figure standing alone amidst the sea of sand. He couldn't help but feel drawn to the figure as he quickly slid down the dune to catch up to him. By the time Vexen had come within earshot, the figure would pause in his tracks as he turned his body a quarter to the left, his helmeted gaze falling upon the ragged looking adolescent wielding a blaster and electrostaff.

The two would stare at each other in silence, though Vexen was quickly becoming overwhelmed with the prospect that he had found someone worth consuming. The armored figure held his ground as he reached beneath his cape and pulled a lightsaber out, igniting it as a crimson blade flashed into existence. It would appear the individual was an Inquisitor of the Empire, who had been drawn to the planet in search of Force Sensitive individuals. How convenient for one such person to come directly to him. Vexen, however, didn't care that he was at a disadvantage, he would use the skills and experiences of those he had consumed to overcome whatever obstacle he came across, all in the name of pursuing knowledge and power, he would grasp victory with his own hands.

Vexen would begin to run at the armored Sith as he began to fire stun bolts from one hand, the electro staff trailing behind him as the figure raised his saber in defense, easily blocking the stun bolts. Vexen would come within melee range as he threw the blaster at the man, using his now freed hand to grasp the handle of the electrostaff, bringing it up with a diagonal swing from the ground, kicking up sand as it sparked to life. The blaster would be swiftly sliced in half as the Inquisitor raised a hand to prevent sand being thrown in his face. The electrostaff would connect with the saber as Vexen was met with resistance. He'd quickly spin the staff after disengaging, swinging the spinning staff from the left and right as he would continue to kick up sand. The Inquisitor remained silent as he watched the boy before him, his saber deftly moving from one point of defense to the next, letting the blows slide off his saber as he watched.

Vexen would let out grunts as he was swinging the electrostaff, trying to connect with the figure, though it was not working out well for him at all. All his attacks were met with blocks and parries of a skilled duelist, showing the Inquisitor to be a rather skilled practitioner of Makashi. Each blow was redirected off to the side with little effort while Vexen was expending a lot of his energy and stamina in the process. There was a certain elegance in the man's usage of the lightsaber that Vexen had been watching and observing to see if there was any openings he could take advantage of. Vexen would swing out from the right in a wide arc, only to have the figure grab the staff and redirect all that inertia as he threw Vexen a few yards off to the side, sending his body tumbling through the sand as he landed on his back, the wind knocked out of him.

His eyes were heavy, he was tired and exhausted as his chest heaved while he lay in the sand, the electrostaff loosely gripped in one hand. The sound of the Inquisitor's footsteps were heard coming closer until Vexen could finally see the man towering over him. He would twirl his lightsaber in one hand before raising it up in both hands above his head. A voice could be hear echoing not in Vexen's ears but his mind as the Inquisitor spoke telepathically, You are too weak to serve the Emperor...I, Katastor, will grant you release from your suffering. As Katastor was about to bring his lightsaber down, a flash of rage and defiance as he was called weak. With renewed energy he gripped the electrostaff in hand tightly before angling it up, striking Katastor directly in the chest as he was about to impale the fallen Vexen. A powerful electrical surge would run through the Inquisitor's body as he reeled backwards.

Filled with both anger and renewed energy, Vexen would flip forward onto his feet as he kept up the pressure, striking Katastor across his chest and limbs, each shock tightening up the man's muscles until he was finally on his knees, his lightsaber knocked out of his hand as he was struck. Vexen would bring the end of the electrostaff to Katastor's chest. No audible scream could be heard, but one that shrieked through Vexen's mind as Katastor was being electrocuted. After a few moments of intense pain, Katastor's arms would go limp as his helmeted head slumped forward whilst he was on both knees. Vexen would deactivate the electrostaff as he used the end to push the unconscious Inquisitor back into the sand like a deactivated droid. His breath was heavy as he looked down upon the Sith as he stumbled forward, straddling the man's chest as he leaned forward. His proboscis would slither out of his cheek pouches as they slipped their way through the gaps in Katastor's helmet to feed. I refuse to be weak...I will become stronger. Your essence will live on through me.

There would be a sudden rush of memories and thoughts that were not Vexen's but of Katastor's as the Inquisitor's essence was siphoned from his physical body and into Vexen's own. A shudder would run through the young Anzat's body as he let out an extended scream. He would fall back away from the now lifeless husk as he fell back into the sand, staring at the night sky. His hand would reach out as he felt something in his hand. He wrapped his fingers around it as he brought it up to his face, holding the saber of Katastor in front of him. He stared at it before his eyes became heavy and everything went to black.

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The scientists and observers would analyze everything that had been seen and observed the memory with great detail as they muttered amongst each other, already in the process of converting the memory and essence of the late Sith Inquisitor into a module that could be stored in a datachip that would hold the entire consciousness of Katastor as it was pulled from Vexen's mind to lessen the General's mental stress. The Lieutenant would look over to the lead researcher before nodding, "Continue on with the next extraction..."

[ Acquired Katastor Module Chip ]