Public The Voyage of the Dark Star

[Anak Darkstar]

The impact of Zinayn knocked Anak’s hilt clear out of his hand, deactivating the burning red blade as it flew into the black pool. Anak stood without a weapon, his wild episode continung, he began hitting with his fist, guatd of wind, The Force arouhd the punchss, one tore through a rock arch that crumbled into three pieces.

The Son of Darkness was lost in memory, he saw them monstwrs leap upon his Mother.

“Mother! Nooooooo!”

Seeing The Jedi as one of the beasts he leapt with his fist conjuring a flow of the Force to smite his foe in a state of delirium. The shockwaves were small, enough to push back a blade or break rock, but nothing on the level of a burst.

Anak had tears descend his face as mini falls, he jabbed and offered an upppercut. Then sweeping his fist down. He began to pant loudly, the cave like a cone amplifying the sound of heavy breaths. He was exhausted, but he kept on, swinging, seeing the Creature feasting on his Mater (Mother). He then overextended in a punch , his robes flowing behind him.

 

[Zinayn]

Zinayn grinned as he watched his opponent's lightsaber spin out of his hand, splashing into a black pool. But the Sith didn't stop, instead coming at the Gray Jedi with his fists. Surprised, Zinayn was hit with the first couple punches. A jab hit him in the stomach, knocking the breath out of him. Then, an uppercut launched him into the air. Before another punch could smash him into the ground, the Chiss twisted and used his body momentum and torque to flip back a few meters.

His grin returned when he saw the Sith overextend himself in a punch. Zinayn swept his orange lightsaber blade forward, aiming to cleave the Sith's arm off at the shoulder.

The man's screams were a little saddening. First his father, now his mother? It seemed this man had either left his family, or they had been killed. That was the reason many fell to the dark side. Loss of family, or a fear of that loss was a great weakness. Zinayn had eliminated that years ago. That was what made him strong.

Anak Darkstar

 

[Anak Darkstar]

TAG: Zinayn

The Son of Darkness lost to memory was brought back with a great sobering pain, his shoulder felt the fire of blade passed through, cutting and cauterizing the wound as it went through bone, sinew, muscle, and flesh. There was sparks that shot like a crown arouhd the gapping hole and stub, the arm falling to the floor, smoking rising from its severed end.

The Sith Errant in hs momentum ceased moving, standing as the stone around him, he felt the nerves flood with an intense agony, like needles, pressing into the vein pumps of blood. Then a more terrible sensation, nothing, a numbness, a silence of feeling most dreadful of all. Anak looked down at his cloven limb, falling on his knees, he lifted it with his last precious hand, holding it up he examined the rent arm, that which he hqs taken for granted, was now torn from him forever.

Turning to the Jedi with his magma blade, his eyes not full of rage but tears. Another loss, his precious hand now broken as he was.

“I beg you.. do not kill me.”

In all the worlds The Son of Darknsss had never uttered such words. He had been a god of destruction, all before him fled ij fear, now look at him, pleading on his knees cradling his broken flesh.

 

[Zinayn]

Zinayn had raised his lightsaber above his head to deal the finishing blow. Emotions were running high in him, pumping through his veins. He would bring an end to yet another Sith in the galaxy. But then he began to question: Was this Sith trying to turn him to the dark side?

The Chiss slowly lowered his lightsaber, then extinguished it. The man was begging for mercy. And if Zinayn decided to kill him, then he'd be killing a defenseless man. Whether or not he was Sith or not, attacking someone who couldn't fight back was wrong.

Maybe Zinayn could turn the man away from the dark. "What is your name?" he asked, clipping his lightsaber to his belt. And keeping an eye on the Sith's weapon, which had sunk to the bottom of the pool. He didn't know if this Sith was trying to trick him or not. Better to stay cautious.

Anak Darkstar

 

[Anak Darkstar]

The Son of Darkness was relieved when The Jedi extinguished his blade. He tried to rise up, which was diffi ukt with one hand that held his severed limb. He finally was standing.

“I am Anak Darkstar.”

The Sith Errant walked over to the Bat Creature and laid his arm beside it. He closer his eyes and the pool of water rippled, then rolling out of the waters the saber hilt fell at his feet. He cut open the bat, the red blade opening it and releasing a stench. He deactivated the blade and clipped the hilt to his belt. He then leaned down and put the arm inside the Creature. Then turning to Zinayn he nodded.

“I will take you to my ship if you wish. You wanted to know what The Harvest is, and why this world is much altered.. come see.”

Anak did not show aggression, the lose of his arm sobered him to hostility, he was in no place to harm him. Instead, he adopted a tranquil demeanor, which may unnerve The Jedi.

The Son of Darkness lead the way out of the cave to the surface. There at the mouth he stood waiting for the Paladin. He would not set a trap, though a good idea, but this Jedi had already been underestimated, and besides to reward him for sparing Anak’s life with an ambush was bad form.

 

[Zinayn]

Zinayn raised a brow as the Sith rose shakily, then retrieved his saber and cut open the dead monster. After sticking his severed arm in there, he offered to take the Sith to his ship. This was where it got interesting. Once Zinayn figured out how this world's biosphere had been changed, perhaps he could try to find a way to counter it if it ever got out (or if this Sith decided to release it on the galaxy).

When Anak walked past Zinayn, the Chiss was on guard. Who knew if the Sith would pull some trick and ignite the ruby blade into the Chiss's stomach? But Anak passed peacefully. Probably humbled now that his arm was gone.

The Gray Jedi followed Anak out of the cave and looked to the sky, wondering how they would get up to space.

Anak Darkstar

 

[Anak Darkstar]

The Son of Darkness lead the Jedi to a pod shaped craft that was in a crator.

“It will be tight, but we can both fit inside.”

If Anak wanted to kill The Jedi, he could release the payload on the Pod. Instead he chose not to, The Paladin had earned the right to see The Darkstar.

Getting inside Orb shaped craft, Anak motioned to the Zinayn to join him. He had leaned over enough to make a tight space on the side part of the seat. The Sith Errant engaged the thrusters, the cock pit windshield preparing to close.

 

[Zinayn]

Zinayn hesitated for a moment before clambering into the pod next to Anak. If the man had wanted to kill him, Zinayn would have sensed that malicious intent. Then again, the Chiss could have let slip his senses, and the Sith had his lightsaber pointed at his chest.

But for now, he would have to trust the man.

"So...are you in any way affiliated with the Sith Order? Or are you just a freelancer?" Zinayn asked, hoping to break silence.

Anak Darkstar

 

[Anak Darkstar]

TAG: Zinayn

The Pod hatch sealed and the thusters made it ascend, the Great Orb reaching the stratosphere in no time.

“I am the Son of Darkness. I am on my way to Sith Space once my experiments end here.”

The One Armed Darksider had to improvise, only having one hand.

“There are some conditions once we board The Dark Star. First you must not share what you see with a soul, at least not until ai reach The Outer Rim.”

The Pod began to dock with the great Squid shapes vessel.

“Secondly, be careful with The Cargo. It is highly mutable and if it comes in contact with your skin there is nothing I will be able to do to save you.”

Anak last words before boarding were ominous. He had never let a stranger see the inside of the Dark Star, nor come into close contact with its Cargo.

The Pod docked and the door slid open into a grave scene. The cieling looked like inverted rib cages, and the walls had rock sheet with coils that looked serpentine and glowed green.

“Welcome to the Dark Star.”

 

[Zinayn]

Zinayn nodded, listening carefully to the Sith's rules. "You have my word that your secret will not be spread. At least until you decide to turn it on the greater galaxy."

When the pod docked with the strange ship, Zinayn's life got much stranger when he saw the surroundings in the hangar. Or what he assumed was the hangar. "What in the galaxy...what is this?" he asked Anak. To him, this ship seemed like some living thing...at least not like the conventional naval vessels and civilian spacecraft. This was something else entirely. Could the Chiss be dealing with something from another galaxy? Another universe even?

Anak Darkstar

 

[Anak Darkstar]

As the Pod sailed towards its port, Anak paid attention to Zinayn .

“I do not intend to unleash it on the galaxy. It is meant to do more than destroy.”

The Jedi was quickly startled by The Dark Star. It was clear its unnatural systems and interior belied its origins.

“It was created to be a vessel for a new dawn.. created by.. well that is a secret.”

The Son of Darkness lead The Gray Jedi into the Cargo Bay which was made of black ans onyx rock, great oval eggs of obsidian colored liquid bubbled.

“This is the Harvest. It is meant to do great things.. alas so far there has only been failure.”

Anak stood there and watched The Jedi. He could try to release the Cargo into the hangar and killed him. But the Son of Shadows would not, he owed this Paladin his life and would nor repay the debt with bad grace.

 

[Anak Darkstar]

Years Later…

The Dark Star had been submerged at the bottom of Cato Bight’s waters. There is lay dormant, till at last its dark pilot returned.

The waves on the shore line lapped, as the bustling city of casinos and the golden lights were a stark contrast to the Dark Figure who stood on the sand, his scarlet cape flowing in the wind, his curly hair beating his leather tunic and scarlet robed shoulders. His eyes of burning amber fixated on the dark water, not a soul roamed the sandy shoreline but him, the rest were lost in revelry. There Anak reached with his hands, the black gloved palms pointed to starry sky, and his fingers like mini monoliths of malevolence.

The waters began to tremble, ripples in black surface creating an eye. Those tremors then began to evolve into a shake a ebony tentacle broke the eye of ripples. The Son of Darkness raised his hands higher as the vessel began to emerge as a mechanical copy of Typhojem, its squid shape startling some onlookers on a bridge who were kissing as if a Summa-verminoth had manifested.

The Dark Star was then drawn to its Master, where there on sandy shoals he stepped into shallow waters and placed his hand on the haul. The hatch decompressed with steam, and opened at his command, and he entered therein. The interior was completely the same, undisturbed, as if no time had passed. The Son of Shadow made his way to the bridge and touching a key with The Force, the view screeh came alive and voice said,

“Welcome home Anak.”

A Holographic woman appeared on a pedestal.

“I was beginning to think you would not return..”

Anak eyed the AI which he had kept off for many years. She had short hair that looked like tendrils, and a jumpsuit of white light and glowing eyes that changed from white to green to magenta. The Son of Darkness considered isolating her once more and letting the silence pervade over the vessel.

“You look tired Anak..”

The Dark One took a seat on the black throne chair. His eyes of flame peering at Adele.

“Chatty as ever Master.. where to?”

The Son of Darkness whispered,
“Abaddon..”

The AI chimed as the engines came to life.

“Plotting a course to the Abaddon System.”

The Ship using the tentacles lifted itself up into sky. A crowd of Cato cosmopolitans gathered to watch as the squid balanced and the back purple thrusters burned and launched the vessel into the sky and made for outer space. There like a Purgil it swam in the thick blackness and disappeared into hyperspace.

 

[Anak Darkstar]

The Dark Star came out of light speed above the Black Planet riven with magma veins much like Mustafar only these burning rivers were deep, and did not manifest in great falls on the surface.

The Dark Star landed, and Anak rose when Adele interrupted.

“Master.. this planet.. is it wise?”

Her voice crackled as her databanks documented previous visits.

The Son of Darkness stopped in his steps. The Ai could read his agitation and yet he did not act upon it. Adele titled her glowing head and The ramp lowered as Anak descended and placed his hood on his head. He carried a helm in his right arm.

The Son of Darkness came to the great gateway of stone that had marked his life for years. There at the portal, an altar of black rock he laid a helmet of steel. He peered with his burning coal like eyes at the empty hole in the suspended circle of onyx rock. He then placing his fist on the altar, and rocks began to rise all about, as orbs of stone in the dozens he called them to the gate as the archs of it began to shake, one by one the rings toppled, a great dust rising where once stood the entrance to Chaos. No wonder the planet once conquered by Sith had been forgotten, its devilish illusions trapping souls in an existence most hellish. Anak now took the cruciform Soul Saber which was broken, and laid it on the altar beside the helm. Here he relinquish his claims as Lord of the Void, along with the powers that he was now certain were akin to the Magicks of Dathomir. As Son of Darkness turned, the altar began to descend beneath the earth, and a mist of peridot glowed before disappearing.

Heading towardd the Dark Star, Anak lookee and saw a valley and hill where once His Apprentice who Had No Name was transformed into a Wound. He thought about their time in Yavin IV and the Darksaber, and all that had transpired. Here he expatiated a life thus lived, and sought to begin again…

The Son of Darkness returned inside The Dark Star, where Adele stood now full size.

“Master? Are you alright?”

Anak looked at the AI Hologram that plagued him with questions.

“I have come full circle. Chasing after the wind. Listening to shadows that impaled my soul, how to start once more with renewed purpose and ardor?”

The AI was taken aback by his response. Her programming had margins and she did not fully fathom what she was about to say, foreign as flesh the words,
“This time choose, quiet the voices and decide your destiny.”

Anak turned to look at her,
“Quite profound, and yet you cannot make choices beyond your own design.”

Adele nodded, “true, but I am aware they exist, that you can seize them Master.”

The Son of Darkness smiled,
“Call me Anak.”

The AI looked up with her oscillating digital eyes.

“Where to next, Anak?”

Anak crossed his arms as he sat.

“Lets sail in the Outer Rim, you decide the course.”

Adele nodded as she directed The Dark Star to rise and return to space, where instead of jumping to Hyperspace, it slowly swam in deep vacuum, the tentacles flowing behind like strands of hair.

 

[Anak Darkstar]

As the Dark Star drifted, the Son of Darkness head to a private room at the back, there a mat with the Seal of Bogan. He crossed his legs as he sat and closed his eyes to mediate.

Many misconceptions surrounded the Sith and Darksiders, that they had no control of their passions. The truth is disciples of the Darkness learned to control their fear, channel their anger, and sharpen their hate. To neglect the agressive feelings was folly, how can one explore the depths of fear and master it without feeling it? How can you temper anger unless you have let it seep through in word and deed? And there is a place for hate, the Jedi did not admit they hate The Acolytes of the Dark Side. For many disciples of Bogan hate fell into three classes, hatred of the Other, The Jedi and their Galactic Alliance; the enemies of the dark. In this cause one could become a saber to fight injustice, corruption, and prejudice against the power that helps us see the depths of ourselves. The second is hatred of the self, to build a everlasting fire of ire against oneself, to never see excellence only deficiencies, to allow this perfectionism to make one stronger and greater than those that came before. The third was the most difficult of all, to hate the madness that is love. Most are prone to attachments, but love despite the ballads sung in cantinas did not last, and it had the capacity to fracture souls and ruin their potential.

Anak contemplated the third hate, he had fallen prey to the Madness and loved many, and now as ever he was left with sting of emptiness. Perhaps it was time to hate amore at last when he felt a bump rousing him from his meditative trance.

There were more impact tremors as he rose and came to the bridge, Adele shouting,
“Bloody pirates! Anak we are being boarded!”

The Son of Darkness heard on the comms some static.

“They are jamming our comms! Which I thought was impossible!” Said The Hologram Woman.

Anak turned to go back to his Meditation Chamber, as the door was about to close, he said to Adele,
“Send them to me.”

Inside His Chamber the Dark One turned out all the lights as he knelt down and sat crossing his legs.

The Marauders came through a hatch, and they held their Vibroaxes and swords, others held blaster rifles. Their eyes were slited and green, their heads adorned with bronze circlets that rose up into a hat. Ligjts flashed pointing to a door at the far end, where they followed and one of them opened the door which was shrouded in shadow. One of the Pirates peered in when it was pulled in suddenly by nothing seen and croaked as the sound of neck snapped. The others opened fire, red bolts flying, when a red beam appeared and deflected the bolts, another pirate was pulled into shadow letting out q scream as it was skewered. The remaining five watched as two flaming eyes that now were visible drew closer, they tried to run as one by one they we levitated toward the shadow room, a blade reaching out like tomgue cutting asunder the Maraunder, which shrieked. Another dug its Vibroaxe into floor trying to resist the pull of the power that yanked the pirate into air, its legs dangling as if to fall into room like a pit,

The other Marauder fell into the dark room and was cut into strips by the blade rising from shadow opening that seemed like a great mouth. Anak had turned his chamber in a Sarlaac, using the Force like tentacles, and his blade as teeth as it devoured another maraunder. The last pirate was plucked from his raft like axe and pulled into shadows as the door closed and it screamed.

The door to the bridge opened, Anak stood and dropped the head and metal plate hat of marauder. Adele looked at him as he gave a command,
“Seize the rest of their ships.”

The tentacles grabbed the other three craft and one even puncturing the haul of one like a spear point. The pirate ships now were dragged behind the Dark Star like a net dragging fish.

Adele looked at Anak,
“What is to be done about them?”

Anak took his seat.

“Drag them till their oxygen depletes.”

He said it with such coldness that even the AI was startled. It was clear the Son of Darkness had returned.

 

[Anak Darkstar]

As the maraunding party was towed behind The Dark Star, Adele appeared anew to Anak.

“Would it not be best to cut then loose? They are sure to tell tales of their encounter with The Dark Star.”

The Son of Darkness sat in his chair unmoved by her words. His face stoic and as chiseled stone, his eyes like lit wicks of candles that sat before the Immortal Gods of the Sith.



His eyes burned as he pressed a key on the console before him. The great tentacles of the Dark Star punctured each of the ships, their hauls having holes leaking oxygen. Then the tentacles were positioned at the view screen, Anak hailed them and they have answer,

“Help us! Please! We have a haul breach!”

Anak watched them as the coughed and gasped for what was draining out of their life support systems. The continued to plead, and he just watched, the flames in his eyes waving calmly as the one on screen feel on his knees and held his hands to his throat in a desperate attempt to increase the flow of oxygen. It was futile, more pirates fell as their Captain did. All the while Anak peered at them from the channel, he felt a deep pleasure from it, that had they beat their hands on the floor of their bridge, and lookee up seeking hope that he deprived of them. He uttered not one word, they have violated the Dark Star’s sovereignty.

Adele looked at her Master aghast, why was he doing this? Why did she care? The Dark Star and its primary mission was not devoid of horror, though it did have a purpose beyond death, and perhaps that was the issue, these torments achieved nothing and her programming reacted.

“Anak! This is not the mission!”

Anak reached for the pedestal protecting her image and hit a orb that made her disappear into broken flickers of light. He then relished as the life was choked out of each marauder.