Chapter 4 – Kthx1138bye
Back at the Emperor's grand citadel overlooking the capital city of Byss, in a gym sized room with marble floors and walls, Namlel Mor kneeled amongst fifteen other prisoners of many different kinds of species, three humans, a Rodian, a Quarren, and a few creatures Mor could not identify, though he was certainly the only Kaleesh in the room. None of the prisoners spoke, but Mor could sense their minds were conflicted with following a path of servitude or a path of vengeance. With so many of them and only one of him, what chance would the old man stand?
Flanked by four of his towering Imperial Sentinels, the Emperor entered the throne room through a side entrance that led to the slightly elevated sub-section where his throne and view resided. The Sentinels took their places, equidistant from one another, with Palpatine in the center, carefully examining each of the prisoners with his powerful gaze.
"I congratulate you all on being the fifteen out of one hundred sixty to survive your imprisonments." the Emperor said, "You are truly the strongest candidates. But your tests are far from over. Though you survived through seemingly impossible circumstances of starvation, dehydration, and beatings among other things, your combat training will certainly be your most challenging. Some of you will perish. But those of you who survive will find yourselves among the highest ranking warriors in my Empire, as my Dark Side Adepts, you will command legions of soldiers, entire fleets, they will be your tools in maintaining order in the galaxy. Fear is what separates the master from the apprentice, but hatred is what fuels both parties in all of their actions. I sense much hate in one of you in particular, even at this very moment, it is unmistakable."
The Emperor looked over at Namlel Mor, who only focused his glare more.
"Yes, Namlel Mor, I can sense every ounce of your hatred, it fuels the fire within you. I am a sick old man, you could strike me down, after everything I've put you through. You see it, don't you? A chance. Take it!"
That was all the motivation Mor needed to use the Force to pull the lightsaber from Palpatine's cloak and pull it into his own hands, activating it as he full on sprinted towards the old man. The blade shot out from the hilt with the famous hiss and humming of the age-old weapon of the Jedi and Sith. The crimson blade illuminated Mor's hateful expression as he rushed towards his victim.
Before he could reach him, the vibro-axe of the closest Sentinel blocked his path. Having anticipated this, Mor brought the saber down on the hilt of the axe, but to his surprise, it did not sever the weapon in half as intended. The Kaleesh prisoner halted his attack in surprise, clashing weapons with the Sentinel again, confused, but still adamant in his attack. Mor slid the lightsaber down to the Sentinel's wrist, slicing off its left hand.
To the prisoner's absolute horror, the Sentinel did not cry out in agony, or even flinch. It simply looked at Mor with those emotionless red eyes. It raised its cauterized stump, and with it, Mor felt himself rise into the air, and with a flick of the creature's injured wrist, Mor was cast through the air, then slammed hard on the cold, unforgiving ground and held down with unimaginable force.
The Emperor laughed maniacally at the entire ordeal, then looked at the other prisoners, who were all shocked by what they'd just witnessed.
"Your master admires and rewards hatred and boldness, but will not tolerate disobedience..." Palpatine warned, "Let my Sentinels demonstrate for you all the result of such a rash move on the part of our Kaleesh comrade."
One by one, the four Sentinels walked over to the bottom step of the elevated throne section, all glaring soullessly at Mor, who began to feel the combined pressure of their zombie-like minds prodding at his mind.
"Heh, I know this trick, I did it to one of your troopers!" Mor said mockingly, "I loaded his mind with the agony I experienced, it destroyed his mind, but my mind is not so weak!"
"It is not pain my Sentinels will show you, I'm afraid it is something far more terrifying." the Sith Lord said with a smile.
It was as if something was carving its way through Mor's consciousness with a knife, prying apart his very thoughts and revealing... nothing. More than darkness, it was a complete void. The longer it went on, the harder it was to resist, this otherworldly chasm of the mind became deeper. The layers of Mor's reality were peeling back, sending his entire body into an uncontrollable and agonizing spasm.
"Pain, suffering, agony, all carnal and tangible experiences, but my Sentinels have a different idea of torture. It is beyond the force. They do not know emotion, their personalities erased, foreign are the concepts of desire or greed. It is a freedom none of us will ever know, it unlocks more potential for their power, as you can now see."
Mor felt that at any moment, he would be consumed with this terrifyingly blank and never-ending reality, unable to return. It was a fate far worse than death, and after this, how could any other form of pain ever frighten him? Every one of Mor's senses screamed out to him, begging to be rid from this plane of existence, lest they carry the weight of this agony for the rest of his life.
"Do you realize what you're seeing, son? The absence of everything that is sentience. With the power of all four of the Sentinels combined, I'm sure it is very traumatizing. I almost envy you, my friend."
"JUST KILL ME!" Mor screamed, "PLEASE KILL ME!"
"Stop at once!" Palpatine shouted.
The Sentinels instantly ceased their mental barrage of Mor, who lay on the cold, marble floor, reeling from the attack.
"Namlel Mor has just taken the next step in his training, he has far exceeded any of you. The weak beg for life, it gives their enemies something to hold against them. The strong know endless agony, they see death as their only acceptable escape from suffering, it gives their enemies nothing to frighten them with, no bargaining chip to trade. That is the strength you will all learn, or perish. Well done, my pupil."
"Thank you, my master." Mor said graciously.
Despite his newfound respect for the old man, Mor still felt a great deal of hatred, not only towards him, but to the mindless, zombie-like Sentinels that stood motionless by their Emperor. Seething with fury, there was no doubt in Mor's mind that he would slaughter them before his training was to be completed.
Within the next hour, the trainees were all tested in the throne room separately to discourage any mingling, and given lightsabers, ones taken from fallen Jedi. It seemed most had been retrofitted with red crystals, but the hilts and most of the inner components were original. Palpatine oversaw each of the tests, observing the various trainees, while the others waited patiently outside, completely silent. Now it was Mor's turn for evaluation. The Emperor stood in the center of the throne room, and Mor approached his master, lightsaber in hand.
"Your experience with a machete during campaign against the Yam'rii should be a good enough starting point for your lightsaber training." the Emperor said.
"The force is my weapon," Mor said, "the medium I deliver my killing blows with makes no difference to me. Lightsaber, machete, rifle, it is all the same."
"Very good. There will be no room for error in this test."
"There won't be." the Kaleesh warrior said sternly.
"Good. It will begin shortly." Palpatine said as he left the room.
Once the old man was gone, all the lights in the throne room went out, which was fine with Mor, the Force would guide his actions. He kept his lightsaber off for the moment, as the light emitting from it could distract him from completing his test and impressing the wicked old man, who he could tell was not far.
Mor could sense something else in the room. Actually, more than a few somethings. Whatever they were, they were closing in on him, and they weren't looking to make friends. They seemed quite predictable, but inorganic.
Droids.
With a smirk, Mor activated his lightsaber just in time to deflect a blaster shot from an assassin droid on the ceiling. From the side, an old Magnaguard, complete with an electro-staff, lunged out from the darkness, but Mor was prepared for such a move, and locked weapons with the soulless machine. The assassin droid above fired once more, but missed when Mor leaped out of the way and clashed weapons with the Magnaguard again. Several flying probots entered the room through previously hidden panels in the wall, all firing their lasers at Mor. These were no training shots, these were lethal if landed right.
More fun for me.
All of the droids, though uniquely designed and practical against non-Adepts, were far too predictable for Mor, who deflected shots back at his attackers, destroying all of the probots. The assassin droid, however, was a bit more durable. While still dueling the Magnaguard, Mor used the Force to crush the section of the ceiling the assassin droid was hanging onto, making it crash down hard on the ground.
Mor finished off the Magnaguard by impaling it through the chest, then kicking it to the ground. Using the Force, Mor snatched the blaster out of the assassin droid's hand, then tossed his saber through the air, sending it straight into the droid's head, then pulled it back into his hand. The lights in the room came back on as Palpatine re-entered the room.
"You destroyed them in record time, my pupil. I am most pleased." the old man said.
Before Mor could reply, he could sense a familiar feeling, the same void from before. The Sentinels were re-entering the room by the throne itself.
"I can feel your hatred of the Sentinels..." the Emperor said, "They were once Adepts like you. They are the ones who could not be broken, impossible minds to crack. It is very rare. Their minds have been inhibited, their emotions wiped from existence, their thoughts belong to their master, their bodies morphed and twisted by the power of the dark side. By not offering their complete devotion to our cause, they chose their fates, as you choose yours. I know what I would choose."
"I think I just made my decision." Mor said.
"I know you have. Destroy them, if you can." Palpatine said with a grin.
Using his mind, Mor activates one of the fallen droids' blasters, firing a single shot at one of the Sentinels, who deflects the shot with their hand, allowing Mor to pull the giant's vibro-axe away and toss it to the other side of the room. Seeing his newest victim unarmed, Mor sprints towards him, and with all his might, leaps through the air and brings his saber down through the creature's head, killing it.
The other three Sentinels, ready for a fight, begin to approach Mor. He began to feel them attempting to do their previous trick on him, only this time, he was prepared.
"There are only three of you now, and I know how it works." Mor said, "You'll have to do better than that."
One of the Sentinels raised its hand at Mor, sending a massive shockwave his way. Standing his ground, Mor held back the blast, which blew apart the floor around him and tattered his prison outfit. Filled with rage, he sent back a shockwave of his own, sending the Sentinel flying backwards, slamming into the wall and shattering many of its bones.
Mor swung his saber at the closest Sentinel, clashing with its vibro-axe, withstanding the intensity of the lightsaber. The two sparred, both intent on killing one another, anticipating the others' moves. The other intact Sentinel, the one whose hand Mor had sliced off earlier, joined in the fight, viciously swinging its axe one handed at Mor, who was enjoying the fight against the two behemoths.
The Sentinel who was attacking from behind unleashed a flurry of force lightning against Mor, crippling him momentarily as the Sentinel in front swung his axe for a killing blow. Through the bolts of lightning that swept through him, he pushed through and deflected the other Sentinel's blade, knocking the creature backwards, then turned to the lightning throwing Sentinel.
"I'm gonna take that other hand of yours now." Mor said as he gritted his teeth through the lightning that swarmed him.
Mor swiped his blade upwards, carving through the previously injured wrist directly through the middle. The Sentinel ceased its barrage of lightning, and although did not falter in pain, Mor didn't expect or need it to. Slicing downwards on its uninjured hand, he amputated the giant's other hand, then impaled the creature directly through the heart.
Sensing the other Sentinel had gotten back to its feet, Mor kicked the now dead Sentinel's corpse away and turned to block the other's axe swing.
"You made your choice, now I'm making mine!" Mor said as the two continued to clash their weapons.
From the other side of the room, Mor could sense the injured Sentinel from earlier, who had been thrown against the wall, was attempting something. The creature's blank mind was hard to read into, but it was unmistakably planning a sneak attack. While still fighting the axe wielding Sentinel, Mor used the force to levitate a fallen vibro-axe and flung it through the air, impaling the wounded Sentinel in the stomach.
Continuing the assault on the other Sentinel, going on the offense, Mor blasted his opponent with blow after blow with the lightsaber. Clearly overestimating its own height, the creature prepared a killing blow from above, exposing a weakness the Kaleesh thought too obvious. Taking advantage of this, the Kaleesh warrior sliced off the being's legs at the knees, then snatched the vibro-axe from his opponent's hands, dropping his lightsaber as he brought the axe down on the Sentinel's head over and over again, cracking its helmet open and puncturing its skull, killing it. Once he was certain of the creature's demise, he tossed the axe aside and used the Force to bring his lightsaber back into his grip.
Looking over at the other Sentinel by the wall, he could sense the life fading from it as it weakly clutched the axe still stuck through its body, pinning it to the wall. Mor approached the dying Sentinel, standing over it with his lightsaber ready.
"My only regret is that you Sentinels do not beg for your lives when I slay you." Mor said as he reared his saber back, then swiped hard across the Sentinel's throat, killing it. Satisfied with his victory over his tormentors, Mor reeled back and screamed out a warrior's call that echoed throughout the chamber. This was followed by applause from the Emperor, who approached Mor.
"You have far exceeded my expectations, my pupil, I am most impressed." the Emperor said.
In the far corner of the room, Mor could sense another being, similar to Palpatine in power. The figure approached, and it didn't take long for the Kaleesh to recognize who it was.
"We have been monitoring your progress, allow me to introduce-" the Dark Lord began.
"I know who he is. You're Darth Vader."
The other Dark Lord said nothing, but like his master, his thoughts revealed everything Mor needed to know. The masked Sith warrior looked down at the Kaleesh, viewing him as competition. The man's mechanical breathing sound did not frighten Namlel the way it did most.
"We will personally escort you to the medical bay, Adept." Palpatine offered.
"I will be fine, the pain is a reminder that maintains my strength. Besides, the medical droids seem more suited to serve Vader. You know all about those, don't you, scabby? How many visits to them do you need for them to make sure your weak, scorched carcass stays together long enough to kneel at your master's feet?"
Mor begins to feel the grip around his throat, but sees it's only meant as a warning, not as a fatal attack. He repels the scare tactic with his own force abilities, cackling as Palpatine glares at Vader to cease the hostility.
"In any case, I have a reward for you, come, let me show you." Palpatine said as he and Vader walked off.
Mor followed the two through the grand citadel. They led him to a small, yet grand suite overlooking the city below. Fancy curtains, comfortable looking bed, all the amenities one could ask for on a luxurious planet like Byss.
"You have earned it." Palpatine said, "Your next test will begin soon."
With that, Palpatine and his lap dog Vader left, leaving Mor to walk around his new living space, not only to see what kind of luxuries he'd been given, but also to inspect for any kind of listening devices the Imperials may have placed to keep a close eye on the Adept. Nonetheless, it was far nicer than his old cell.