—/ Chapter 6 /—
Dathomir - Aurilia Spaceport
[The journey to the 'Long Ago Junk' took Arran and Zanka around 5 hours. The two were silent for the duration of the trip. Arran was battling his conflicting emotions as his mind dwelled into the Dark Side. He felt himself slipping into the endless pit that he used to be in. The Dark Side was strong, and it felt like an entity holding tightly around his throat. It would not let up, but the raw power and energy Arran felt was beyond words. It was his reason for existing. The amount of power he felt reminded him of his younger years as a Sith Lord, leading a militant of fighters. The overwhelming energy was comforting to him, yet...disturbing.
Zanka walked, keeping one hand over his rib, channeling the Force to heal it. He glanced down at his hand. It had been only several hours ago that he had used this same hand to direct lightning at a Nightsister. He thought about how it felt. It felt—powerful. He had felt powerful. He wasn't a weak jawa like the rest of his species. He was capable of so much more.
Arran rode the speeder bike into the docking bay where the 'Long Ago Junk' was still sitting safely in one piece. The cargo ramp lowered and Arran pushed his bike inside. Zanka did the same, and Arran looked around the ship, perplexed.]
Arran: Make sure H8er is still on the ship. It's not like him to be this...nondestructive. I'll be outside waiting for Myles to arrive.
Zanka: Will do. [Then he heard the mention of Myles.] Oh. That guy. Great. [He entered the ship and made his way into the cargo bay only to find H8er gone. He began to check each of the rooms only to find H8er in the cockpit.]
[Arran walked back down the cargo ramp, his hand guiding along the ship as he walked down. He was feeling shaken up, probably from the immense amount of anger and energy he felt coursing through him. Still, he managed to walk out of the ship and wait.]
R5-H8: [Upon seeing Zanka] Jawa, you have returned! I was concerned you both would have died and left me without a master to order my destruction. I could have destroyed myself regardless but doing so with Master's order would have been more...fulfilling.
Zanka: We have a new addition on the ship. His name is Myles. You can also call him Asshole.
R5-H8: He cannot be any worse than my first notions of you. I will see how he is first-hand. Maybe he will hate me enough to shoot me on sight.
Zanka: [He was getting more irritated by the second at the thought of Myles arriving.] Just go meet them outside the ship.
[The two exited the ship via the loading ramp and met up with Arran. Myles had not yet arrived. The moments after could be described in no better way than awkward. H8er was impatiently rocking back and forth, occasionally rolling over Zanka's foot on purpose, at which point Zanka unclipped the ionization blaster from his belt and shot H8er at point blank range multiple times for safe measure. The droid let out a screech as its systems were forced to shut down, the last buzzing resonating of H8er saying his last words.]
R5-H8: IT WAS WORTH IT.
[Zanka turned to Arran.]
Zanka: Oops. [He clipped the blaster back on his belt.]
[Arran said nothing, he was annoyed with the situation, but more annoyed that Myles had taken as long as he had. Still, he had to give the kid credit, he was preoccupied with rounding up the Shadow, possibly finishing repairs on Arran's ship, and then having to travel from a system in another section of the Outer Rim. Arran could feel them getting closer, but it didn't make him feel any less anxious. When the sight of Arran's ship came into view, landing in the docking bay connected to theirs, Arran was quick to walk over to it. Before the ship even finished landing, Arran was already at the entrance of the loading ramp.
Myles came out of the ship. He was donned in the Union Shadow armor with his helmet tucked under his left arm. His other hand was secured over his blaster armor he wore was of a very dark gray with a solid white stripe forming down the center. The armor was not shiny and pristine, but rather had scorch marks and other signs of damage. Two Union Shadow soldiers came down the ramp with Myles walking in perfect unison. Myles stopped and saluted Arran, the two Shadow follow suit.]
Myles: Sir, repairs on Horizon are complete and The Titan is currently in orbit.
['Horizon'. The name gave Arran a smirk, and the mention of 'The Titan' only reinforced it. 'Horizon' was a unique ship Arran had designed off of the Intersector-class as a personal transport vessel. 'The Titan' on the other hand, was a Corvette class ship. Both ships were heavily armed, but they were not exactly discreet. Even if seeing 'Horizon' and hearing about 'The Titan' was a pleasant experience, he knew he wouldn't be able to take them. Not while the Union and Sith were after him.
Zanka was quiet, though he did glare continuously at Myles. Arran gave Myles a strong nod and looked over at Zanka. He could sense a boiling over of emotion from Zanka. Before he could say anything about it, H8er had quickly rolled over, running his metal frame into the jawa. Zanka used the Force and hurled the droid back up the loading ramp of the 'Long Ago Junk'. A loud crash was heard from inside the ship, followed by a screech.]
R5-H8: NEXT TIME DO IT HARDER! I ALMOST FELT MY MEMORY CORE DISLODGE!
Arran: [Shaking his head at the incident, he turned back to Myles] Do you still have access into the Union mainframe?
Myles: [Shakes his head] They deleted the access codes that we used to use. Without physical access there isn't a way in. What are you looking for?
Arran: [Clenching his fists at the news, Arran was seething.] Those damn cowards…[His hands went to his hips as he stared at the ground, pacing in a small area. They needed credits, and they needed intel.] It's not a what so much as a who. I need Union intelligence to locate someone and we're low on credits as it is. Is there a facility we can overrun to gain physical access?
Myles: Not easily enough and quickly enough to get what you are looking for by the time reinforcements arrive, though if we found someone with access they could be persuaded to help us.
Arran: [He would have preferred to take the chances and overtake the Union embassy to gain access. It would be a simpler plan—less variables. But he had a plan B in mind.] Nk'ik, what about Meeka?
Zanka: She does. Meeka works at the Union Intelligence Bureau.
Arran: She seemed auspicious about meeting me at your wedding Nk'ik, how willing do you think she would be to help us?
Zanka: I haven't called her lately. She's going to be upset with me. After she's calmed down, most likely.
Myles: [Looks towards Arran.] Your pet got married?
R5-H8: [From inside of the ship, it is barely audible to the group but still heard.] I WOULD BE LAUGHING IF MY BEHAVIOR CORE ALLOWED IT. I WOULD ALSO BE DEAD IF MY PROCESSOR ALLOWED IT.
Zanka: [Glares at Myles] Then what are you? His dog? Licking at his heels like a bitch in heat.
Myles: [Frowned and looked down at the jawa, raising an arm the two soldiers behind him raised their blasters at the jawa] You have been let off of your leash too long Jedi. We have a mission to complete.
Zanka: [He cocked his head as if seeing the two soldiers for the first time. He looked between them and Myles several times.] I'm not a Jedi. At least your men can aim at me. They're not a coward like you. [He spits down at the ground in front of Myles] Pathetic.
[Myles shifts his grip on his helmet before putting it back on and raises his blaster rifle before quickly firing three shots at Zanka. Arran swings two fingers to the side, causing the barrel of Myle's weapon to shift to the side. The three shots make contact with a durasteel wall.]
Arran: Enough. Myles, stand down. I require order in my team. If you two feel the need to fight then fine, but you will do so in my terms. Myles, call out your troops. We will create an arena right here in the spaceport. This is not a spar—this is Kaggath. I will referee. You may injure the other, but no fatal strikes. This is for you two to let out your aggression, and for the loser to experience some much needed humiliation.
[Myles nods and orders the ten soldiers to form a large circle in front of 'Horizon'. Zanka promptly walks to one side, Myles to the other. Training swords are thrown to each combatant. Arran stands in the middle, his blaster raised in the air.]
Arran: When I fire, you begin.
[Arran waited and looked at the both of them. He waited a few moments, sensing the anger and determination in both of them. The blaster was fired into the air, and the duel began.
Myles took no time waiting for an opening. He leaps towards Zanka, his sword arcing down above his body. Zanka raises his blade to block, the swords clashing hard together. Zanka has a hard time blocking the harsh blow Myles had put all of his weight into. The jawa tried dodging out of the way, but felt the aching in his ribs from the injury he received from the Nightsisters. Zanka let out a groan but still managed to sidestep the stocky young adult and arc the blade in a sweeping motion. Myles predicted this quick maneuver and his boot met Zanka's face, causing the jawa to tumble onto the ground. Zanka tried flipping back up onto his feet, but felt the extreme pain from his ribcage. His hand grazed the source of his pain, but he held his sword up in defense. Myles noticed the pained stance the jawa was in, and noticed his hand moving to his ribcage. He would take advantage of that.
Zanka took the moment's gap and attacked, Myles met the basic attack with a parry. The two locked swords. With Myles' height and strength advantage, Zanka was forced to retrieve his hand from his ribcage and tighten his grip on the blade. Zanka couldn't tell, but from behind his helmet, Myles was smiling. While their blades were locked, Myles quickly withdrew his right hand and gave a quick jab to Zanka's ribs. Zanka let out a sharp howl and hunched over, dropping to one knee. Myles put his blade up against Zanka's neck and held it in place. Arran fired another blaster shot and Myles retrieved the blade.]
Arran: Myles, I'll see to you in my ship.
[Myles nods and goes to the ship, the Shadow follow. Arran nods to Myles and watches him walk off. When he reaches the top of the loading ramp, Arran turns to look at Zanka, who is still on one knee, clutching at his chest and having trouble breathing. He holsters his pistol and slowly walks over to the jawa, looking down at him and saying nothing.]
[Zanka said nothing for a minute, only the sound of ragged breathing coming from his mouth. He thought of how he had gotten to this point in the first place. He hated Myles. The asshole had tortured him before. Upon seeing him, he lost it. He didn't expect to have to duel him. On top of that, he wasn't prepared. He had forgotten that his actions had consequences—but not just his actions, his words as well. He wasn't sorry for what he said regarding Myles. It wouldn't have done to instigate him while injured. What he realized however, was the same quickness to say such harmful words he had said in the Nightsister camp. He and Arran had been going at it in a good-natured ribbing when he had made the comment regarding Arran not having a fight in him lately.]
Zanka: [Taking several more gasps of air before managing to get out a few words] I was out of line. Earlier in the camp as well as now. I hate Myles but shouldn't have been stupid.
Arran: Stupid is putting it lightly, Nk'ik. The Dark Side is a powerful thing, and so far I've let you wield it like a kid stumbling across his father's blaster. You had no discipline. You're feeling your breaths getting shorter, and you wonder if you should even get up. You're defeated—useless. You've succumb to what every idiot Sith has before you. I could have taught you like a Jedi, Nk'ik. I could have sat you down and told you all of my secrets and how to perform Dark Side abilities. But where would that get you? I thought if I let you find it out on your own you'd turn out better. It turns out you ended up in the same place—on the ground like a fool. Get up and see you receive medical attention on your ship, I need to grab a few things from Horizon.
[Zanka attempted to stand up. His back was racked with pain. It took him several seconds to steady himself up, weight planted slightly more on one foot.]
Zanka: I won't [he took a long pause] make the same mistake again.
[With that he turned and went back to his ship, hobbling along the way.]
Arran: We'll see [he said quietly as he turned and head inside of 'Horizon'. He was expecting to hear a rattling sound when he entered the ship, but he heard silence. There was a healthy humming coming from the engine room, followed by the beeping of panels. Instead of a few crates as a patched booth, Arran was met with a furnished ship that was sleek and state of the art. It had been so long. He had spent the last few months with Zanka and had forgotten what the interior of a ship was supposed to look like. Arran went into his room, which required a hand scan to open. When he entered, he noticed everything had been the way he left it. His bed sheets were pulled down, his lockbox was still under his bed, and his holoterminal was open on the same tab it used to be—a planetary overview of Wayland, where they had been forced to land and fight against Sith. It was thanks to Myles and the Shadow that they had survived. Arran had trained the Shadow to fight Jedi, but they served just as well against the Sith.
He powered off the holoterminal and walked over to his bed, recounting the many nights he lay awake trying to locate Liz through the Force. Now he had found her, and he was filled with rage and a desire for revenge. Arran was reminded of the face he saw in the flames, the one responsible for turning Liz against him. Until he regains access to the Union mainframe, he won't know for sure who he was, and even then, he might not ever know.
In order to fight the Sith, Arran would need help. The old crone on Korriban had told him to recruit allies, and in the flames of the Nightsister campfire he saw himself, Zanka, Myles, H8er, and another whom he never thought he would team up with, let alone trust. Her name was Azura Vahn. Like Arran, she's a Sith, and not one to be trusted. The two have butt heads before, and she has proven herself to be difficult. She's a sorceress who uses a form of dark magic combined with the Dark Side that even Arran doesn't understand. He would need access to the Union mainframe in order to track her down too.
Arran pulled the lockbox out from under his bed and opened it up. Inside was his old Sith robes and armor, the outfit he wore when he lead a militia, fought the Jedi, and overtook the Republic to transform it into the Union. The Nightsisters wanted Arran to accept his past as Darth Militus and relive that life, this was a start.
It didn't take Arran very long to put on the was like muscle memory, and it fit just right. Arran was now donned in a long black robe on top of dark armor synthesized with beskar, in addition to gauntlets armed with sharp spikes at the knuckles. At the bottom of the lockbox he noticed his old mask, which had a long crack down the middle of it from the battles it had seen. Even just looking at it, Arran felt his old presence creeping in on him in an embrace, like an old friend welcoming himself back into the world. Arrn reached for it, and thought of himself killing the Jedi, killing countless people—He pulled back and locked the box back up, kicking it underneath his bed. He left his chambers and locked it up behind him. Arran was going to search for Myles, but he was already outside of Arran's bedroom door. His helmet was tucked under his left arm and he gave Arran a salute.]
Arran: At ease. I have a new mission for you.
Myles: What needs doing?
Arran: You're coming with me on the 'Long Ago Junk'. If I'm going to defeat the Sith, I need your assistance. Send the Shadow to the Jedi Temple—They will not attack, only standby and defend. They will take Horizon and The Titan. Keep my room locked down. My ship will not be used unless it is an emergency. If the Jedi are compromised and their location is found by the Union, the Shadow will escort them by any means to The Titan. Don't question why I'm protecting them, just follow orders.
Myles: We're protecting them now?
Arran: Just follow orders and make it quick. Transfer what supplies you need to the 'Long Ago Junk'. I'll meet you there.
Long Ago Junk - Aurilia Spaceport
[Zanka was in the cockpit of his ship, sitting on the couch. There were several long strips of cloth and a rusty syringe filled with an oddly colored fluid, H8er beside him making several whirring sounds.]
R5-H8: Do you hear that? This sound is the closest my vocabulator can make to indicate laughter.
Zanka: [He had since opened up his robe and began tying several of the strips around his torso albeit with difficulty. Gasps of pain escaped his lips.] I'm not in the mood.
R5-H8: If I were in your position, I would have stayed on the ground and died. It would have been the greatest feeling in the world.
Zanka: [Finishing the last of the knots and pulling the robe closed, he picked up the syringe and pulled back his sleeve, feeling the fur on his arms. It wasn't as simple as a human finding a vein. Probably the reason his species didn't use these. Using the Force he concentrated to find a viable spot.] I'm rying to fix my ribs. A short term answer involves a shot of pain-killer and binding the chest. A long term answer involves lots of meditation and using the Force. I can't do the second right now. [He injected the shot into his arm.]
[The sound of creaking metal was proof of Arran coming aboard the ship. He entered the cockpit and gripped the back of the couch.]
Arran: Have you made contact with Meeka?
[Zanka looked at Arran and noticed his new appearance. He had seen Arran in robes before, but never with the armor underneath. Looking back down at his arm he pushed down the plunger, before taking out the syringe and putting it down on the armrest next to him. He turned back to Arran.]
Zanka: Yes. She's on Coruscant at the Union Intelligence Bureau.
Arran: I'm aware of its location. We can depart when Myles gathers what supplies he needs and comes on board.
[Zanka nodded, saying nothing.]
Arran: Have you thought more on what I said?
Zanka: Yes. I was proud that I was able to make lightning come out of my hands. It showed that I could do stuff on my own. I was strong. I didn't expect things to get worse. [He didn't like asking for help. Even more-so, he didn't like admitting he was wrong. It went against everything he believed in. Still, pride was one thing, idiocy was another. He was many things. An idiot was not one of them.] I want to continue, keep going.
Arran: You will. Going down this path means no going back. The Jedi believe in redemption, but you can never truly be a Jedi after letting the darkness in. It will always be there. It will always call you back.
Zanka: I didn't think I was truly a Jedi before. I was too...erratic for them. I don't mind the darkness. I like it. It's better to be honest and feel it, than lie to myself.
Arran: Don't mind it? Nk'ik, you've seen firsthand what the Dark Side has done to my life and what it is continuing to do. You've seen the people I've killed along the way. You feel anger, you feel hate—use it, don't let it use you.
Zanka: Didn't they have it coming? They tried to kill us.
Arran: Would the Jedi have killed? Would the Jedi have killed like I did?
Zanka: No. You're not Jedi though.
Arran: Like I said Nk'ik, you've started this path and now you have to see it through. You're not a Jedi—you never were, you never will be.
Zanka: What happens to people who don't see it through?
Arran: They die a hopeless, meaningless life.
Zanka: I guess it's good I'm seeing it through then.
Arran: That's a safe guess.
Zanka: If I never will be a Jedi, what am I then—Just a jawa with a lightsaber?
Arran: Why are you asking me? You command your life now Nk'ik, I'm just here to make sure you don't fuck it up too badly.
Zanka: I guess it doesn't matter. At the end of the day, I'm still me. I should give Jaden some stuff back then. Is it safe to send a package to the Temple?
Arran: [Sits down on the couch beside Zanka and smacks him in the back of the head as he does so.] Of course it matters, otherwise we wouldn't be here. You'd be at the Temple if it didn't matter. [He gazes out the viewport at Myles heading into their section of the spaceport, a large crate in his hands. His ship 'Horizon' lifts off of the ground and flies away.] My ship is going to the Temple, you missed your shot. We have more important prerogatives. H8er, welcome our new guest, show him his quarters—the supply closet beside the cargo bay.
R5-H8: Master, I go there when I have finished my duties to recharge and sulk upon my continued existence.
Arran: Now you can have company to sulk with. Go, before I ionize you myself—I won't need the gun.
[The droid left the cockpit at record speed.]
Arran: [Points at his ship as it leaves in the distance] See that Nk'ik? That's what a real ship looks like.
Zanka: You're not on it. My ship is the real one. It has character.
Arran: [He scoffs sharply.] Set the coordinates for Coruscant. I won't accompany you when you meet Meeka. She's too involved with the Union and I'm their most wanted criminal. Take H8er instead. Myles and I will keep to the ship.
[Zanka nodded, inputting the coordinates for Coruscant into the navicomputer. The ship took off with a slight shuddering and exited the planet's atmosphere. Several minutes later it made the jump to hyperspace. Upon reaching Coruscant space, the ship came to a halt, followed by the sounds of metal scraping. There was an alarm sounding in the cockpit, the lights flickering due to power failures.]
Arran: We lost some "character" upon entry.
Zanka: It might be due to our new crew member.
Arran: Wait until your injuries are healed before making comments like that Nk'ik, or you'll find more broken ribs in the future.
Zanka: [He said nothing for several moments before nodding.] I get it.