1Tales from The Infinite Empire
Volume VI
Galins Tale
49, 000 years before the Battle of Yavin the first known Galactic empire stretched out across the Galaxy. It was Ruled by the notorious Rakatan, and was a bastion of corruption and tyranny. For more then five hundred years the galaxy was victim to the ruthless forces of the Rakatan. There superior technology and sensitivity to the dark energies of the Universe made them unstoppable.
Even an empire as powerful as the Rakatans could not keep a strangle hold on such vast territory. For years pockets of rebellion and freedom lived on in various forms through out the Empire. All attempts at complete control by the vicious Rakatan was thwarted by the extreme cost. But that was all about to change.
A massive new space station forged by both the Dark Magic of the Sith and the Rakatan World Formers, was about to go online. Called the Star Forge, it would give the Infinite Empire the resources to finally send there forces to every inch of the Galaxy. Crushing all resistance in there wake. With it the Rakatan would place a strangle Hold on all the galaxy, and squash any hope of rebellion.
The only hope remained on the frozen moon of a planet called Endor, in the forest village of the Ewoks, a group of rebels prepared a plan to destroy the new space station. Hoping against hope that freedom and Justice would have home in the Galaxy once more. For as long as there was hope there would be people who fought for it in STARWARS.
The Sun set slowly on Sanctuary moon , it cast an eerie light off the red and brown gas giant the Moon orbited. Galin looked out at the reds and browns that bombarded the frigid night sky slowly being replaced by pitch black as Endor moved into alignment with the Sun. Galin looked without emotion at the landscape as it fell into darkness. The cold would freeze him to death if he stayed out in it too long. He was a very long way from the planet he called home.
As a child Galin had never known another planet existed. His family had lived in tribes on there home world until the Rakatan arrived. There ships blocked out the sun. They fired what Galin thought was lightning at his peoples settlements, wiping out any chance of resistance before there droids landed. The metal creatures rounded up the rest of his people up like pack animals. Galin did not know what the mechanical men were at the time, his father said they were herolds of the end of the world, and it was true in many respects. They were the last words he ever heard his father say before a droid put and energy blast through him.
The Rakatan separated the families, moving many off world. Children were raised in groups that included other slave races. Galin was put into the care of Vedish, of the Sith. The creature was grotesque to Galin. His skin was a scaly red, with tentacles were a mouth would be. Its people had some kind of bargain with the Rakatan that recently ended badly. Now they too shared the fate of the rest of the Universe. He hated the filthy creature, and always would. But Vedish recognized in Galin a talent for magic, Sith magic.
The Sith took Galin as an apprentice. Teaching him the ways of the Magic of the Sith and the twin bladed laser sword. "The magic will be your freedom, and my revenge" Vedish would tell him repeatedly. The old Sith told Galin of his vision about him being the sword that would cut of the head of the Rakatan empire.
He learned of the spark that wove through all life, and how to manipulate and control it. He progressed like lightning through his lessons. Easily understanding and applying the hate and Anger needed to control the spark. Vedish, it turned out, was weak in the magic, to weak to be able to show Galin the limits of his potential. It was because he was weak that the Rakatan thought he would be no threat to them. But Galin could be a powerful threat.
He filed Galin with hate, and worked him to past the point of exhaustion, forcing him to call on the Magic constantly just to keep from dieying from exhuastion, making him learn, making him strong. The last thing Vedish tought him was how to use the dual laser sword. Galin killed him with it. He still remembered the look in the Sith's eyes when he turned on him, pride, like a twisted father. Killing the old mage, he would come to understand, was what Vedish was waiting for. It marked the completion of his training.
The Rakatan also used Sith magic, Galin learned from Vedish that the Rakatan Formers propelled there star drives with it, and many other aspects of there technologies. Slaves were forbidden to learn the Magic, or even to know about it. Though it was commonly believed that humans could not learn it anyway. Galins people proved the theory wrong, though the Formers never took the time to look into it.
Galin ran from his slave pit killing every droid, slave or Rakatan that got in his way. He gave himself to the spark and with it he laid waste to his captors. Body parts fell to the ground in a bloodless rain as he made his way to the surface of his home world. Seeing the destruction drove him further into the darkness that fuelled his magic. Eventually Rakatan Formers came for him.There were three of them. There oval head were covered in grayish scales. They flung boulders at him with there magic, cut of his breathing, and struck him with lightining, but what his old teacher had lacked in power he made up for in resourcfulness. A skill Vedish had beat into him mercilessly.
Rather then try to fight off there power with his own he played at being defeated. 'The spark fills a being with pride, it is the undoing of the powerful. You would be wise to remember this my student' Vedish had told him during there training. 'Pride is the well of foolishness, a true mage must be able to see things for what they are'.
Thinking that Galin was defeatedthe Formers came into view, Quickly he called on the spark and ignited both ends of his sword. The double snap-hiss of the weapon would be the last thing the Rakatan would ever hear. As the blade went whirling toward the three, removing there heads. By the time the blade returned to his hands the formers had turned to dust.
He knew his planet well, but the Formers had twisted and misshapen it. 'Press every advantage!' Vedish had told him agin and again. Espically during lasser sword training. 'Treat your enemy as he would treat you, never show mercy'.
They had created whole new life forms, and reshaped the landscape. The sight of it made the anger in Galin grow, and with it his magic. It was still his planet and Galin managed to survive for many months in hiding on it. Freeing slaves and killing Rakatan. But it was pointless, they never ran out of droids or Rakatan. The spark almost constantly flowed through him, but he could not kill enough. It was when he freed a creature called an Ewok that he learned of a resistance movement that could be the key to his revenge.
The little creature was called Tug. Or at least that is what Galin called him. His real name was to difficult for the Mage to pronounce. It was an evil little beast that had been taken from his home world so the Formers could experiment on it. Galin freed him from the labs they had him held in, and the beast had become his pessimistic little shadow. Apparently Ewok genes were to resilient, they kept resisting any attempts by the Formers to rework there DNA. Tugs fur had turned black from there efforts, and his disposition had turned cruel. Revenge and fury towards the Rakatan rolled off the Ewok. A fury Galin shared.
Tug told him of the Endor system. Were a small force of rebels had held up for years one of Endors small Moons. The moon was a frozen land that teamed with life. It was far to small and cold to be any use to the Rakatan and the inability of the Rakatan to control the local populace, or manipulate the DNA of the Ewoks, made it safe enough to establish a base, and rich enough in life for the Rakatan star drives to be able to travel to. So the Rakatan generally left the planet alone. But for those who would survive it rigors it became a home.
Galin and Tug, along with a small force of freed slaves, commandeered a star ship. The hyperdrive required Sith magic to operate it. Luckily Vedish had prepared him for to use the hyperdrive, and Tug was wise were mechanicals things were concerned, wise enough to figure out the rest of the ship. It took them a year to make the journey, but a few days ago Galin and Tug, with a small force of freed slave, landed on the frozen moon.
Galin stood at the mouth of the cave that had they had taken refuge in. He felt Tugs presence coming behind him. Tugs anger always made him glow brightly to Galins senses. Arriving home had actually made him worse, his nature had been so twisted he could no longer find solace among his own kind. He had truly lost everything.
Galin wore reddish purple robes that just missed the ground. Tug came up from behind him muttering in Ewok about the cold. Galin drew on the Sith magic to understand the little creature clearly. His words came out in Ewok, but in Galins mind it was clear. The cold will kill even you at night Galin.
I appreciate your concern Tug, but its unwarranted. My magic can protect me from far more rigorous conditions then this. Go and see to the others.
The others will be fine, but at night on Emdor there is more then the cold that will come for you. Sanctuary protects at a cost, creatures roam the night that even Rakatan fear. The magic flows through this world. At night, in the darkness, monsters, one with the night, come hunting.
I know Tug. Ive sensed there power flow through the Spark. Galin rubbed his hands across his rough unshaven chin. The hood of his robe fell over his eyes as he walked toward the exit of the cave. Galin reached out with his other senses as the Vedish had taught him. In the distance, especially at night, he could hear a wailing through the spark. Something strong in the ways of the Sith calling out in fury. Like the planet itself was being tortured. Something important must be looked into. During the day I cannot sense it strongly enough. But in the night I can hear it, I need to follow it to its source. Whatever it is it is strong in the magic, and may be a useful tool. During the day its voice is to quiet to follow, plus the needs of our little party prevent me from taking extended absences during the day.
The party must learn to survive on its own. You have coddled them long enough. Lets us both leave here.
No." Galin said flatly. "We never know what use they could be." Galin answered flatly, with a hint of threat in his voice. The Ewok understood fear. He was a twisted. Galin never showed him the side of him that had a distaste for killing. Tug would not respect him, and certainly not fear him, and that was all that kept the Ewok in line.
Galin came from a clan that respected life. He had been taught all his life that the strong protected the weak, it was there duty. The sith magic demanded much of him. Vedish had forced him to use it always, but Galin held onto the part that protected the weak. To give it up, would be to give up all that he was. Hate, anger, the violent emotions that fuel his magic, it fought against his humanity, but Galin would give it no more then he had to. For as long as he could.
As you would have it. I will watch them while you go hunting the voice in the night. But be warned, the Sith and the Rakatan are not the only ones who use Magic. Magic flows through Endor, through its creatures, and the lands. And the magic is always primal.
"I understand, and Tug, should you decide to let these people die, know that I will take your life for theirs."
I understand. The Ewok responded as it turned back into the cave.
Primal, Vedish had taught Galin that the magic came from thr force that created life. It was like nature, cold and unrelenting. It allowed only the strong to survive. The closer the Mage to understanding and applying that philosophy the more power he could wield.
Sith society ran on the back bone of that Philosophy. The weak serve the strong, or die. That was why Vedish had wanted Galin to kill him. To prove his strength. A Sith apprentice only became a master when he had killed or subjected his teacher. Vedish himself had never killed his own because time of the Rakatans moving him off world. Though he would never have had the strength.
Galin covered his eyes to protect against the weather and drew on the Magic. In the distance the planet wailed in agony. It would be a long night. He turned to look back towards the retreating Ewok one more time before he set out into the cruel cold of Endor.