Low Profile
Another morning comes to the Western Hemisphere. The sun starts to sneak upwards away from the land. Beams of gold-colored light radiate between the open canopy of the forest. Birds awaken and start their daily routine of hunting for food and building nests, while singing their original songs as they work another day. Unfortunately, a tiny bird, with blue feathers on its wings and white on its belly, wasn't going to have the usual morning he was used to.
The bird starts looking for its morning meal, however it spots something unusual. Something that was made by the creatures that destroyed the forest instead of living in it with them. Being curious of this strange item that had made its way into the forest overnight, the blue and white colored bird decides to glide down towards the unknown piece of man-made structure.
As the bird glides closer to the unknown object, the creature is suddenly pulled quickly from its glide, as if a different type of wind was acting on the bird. Then, suddenly a human hand shoots upwards towards, the out of control, bird and catches it. The bird sees nothing but darkness until a gripped hand slowly opens to a flat position. The bird tries to flap his wings to take off, but he can't move them. An invisible force was keeping the birds wings by its side. All the tiny creature could do was look on in horror as the human face stared directly at him.
"Interesting bird." The Sith Lord Malkus looks at the tiny winged animal, that he had caught out of the air with the Force. The Sith Guard, who had just closed the Tie-Fighter's cockpit, walks up to his master's left and looks at the bird as well. Malkus continues talking about this tiny creature.
"It's similar to some of the smaller birds that are on the worlds from our known galaxy, yet it's unique. One of a kind." The tiny birds chirps in fear. "This planet is special, yet this world is not in the Imperial database." Malkus decides to let the bird go. He released the grip on the bird's body. Sensing no restrictions, the bird quickly flaps its wings and flies quickly out of Malkus's hand, going deep within the forest.
The Sith Guard watches the bird fly away. He couldn't help but feel...calm. Calm? I feel...calm. I haven't felt that way since I first met. His thought jumps from his words to images of his friend he had grown up. His only friend. Dravin. The calm feeling leaves and the spot it left was big enough to let pain, despair, and anger fill it. Inside his mask, a single tears leaves the corner of the Sith's right eye and flows down to his cheek.
Malkus senses his apprentice's pain...and feeds off it. Every drop of anguish that his apprentice felt gave him more power. It made him feel invisible. If my apprentice keeps this up, I might just be able to destroy the Halva by myself and become even stronger. My army will then be able to obliterate the New Jedi Order in one smooth stroke. The Sith Lord continues to absorb power, until his apprentice snaps out of his memories of his friend.
The Sith Guard speaks to Malkus about what they should do next. "We are quite a distance from the city where the Halva is staying at. However, I sense people nearby. Where there's people; there is also transportation. I advise we make are way to these people, and also..." He pauses briefly before continuing. "We should also find different attire if we want to blend into this place."
Even though Malkus wasn't the type of person to hide from anything or anybody, he agreed with his student. "Yes, I agree. We should find new attire and blend in as much as possible. I want to keep as low of a profile as possible. If that means killing people that see use are abilities, then so be it."
After his master was finished speaking, the Sith Guard nods his head slowly, then starts to walk straight ahead, since he felt that the people they needed to get attire and transportation from were in that direction.
The two Siths tread through the woods, each thinking about the newly discovered planet they had landed on. The fact that this planet, which has human life on it, was amazing to them. The planet was in a different galaxy as well.
If this planet has life on it, Malkus thought. What's to say that there aren't other planets in other galaxies as well. This thought opened a brand new opportunity for his army and himself. Bountiful resources, countless men for my army, worlds to rule. I can be unstoppable. Yes. The tide has turn in my favor indeed.
The Sith Guard thinks about this new world as well, since he has time to now. The first time he visited this world he was on his mission, blinded by hate and duty to finish the task. But now, his eyes were taking in the green foliage of the trees and the brown, soft dirt on the ground. Once again, he found himself at peace.
Minutes pass by. One hour. Another hour. Then, at last, the two Siths finally exit from the forest, stepping onto a paved road. Across from the Siths was a small building, that had a lot of business that day. There were two trucks and a car, but the only things that the Siths saw were modes of transportation. They had their way of getting to the city where the Halva was. Now, all they need, was a change of clothes that would help them blend into the world.
Their opportunity was walking out of the building. Two men, one taller than the other and heavier built, make their way towards a light blue truck farthest from the little building. The two Force-Wielders walk quietly across the paved road, moving closer and closer to the two men that were talking to each other.
"You know, Mike. This was the BEST birthday I've ever had. Thank you." The taller one stops at the driver's side door, waiting for his friend to go to the passenger's side of the truck.
"Hey. You deserve it my friend. I, mean, seriously." The slightly shorter guy had stopped right next to his friend instead of going to the passenger's side door. "You're the only friend I have on this world. Everyone else I have tried to befriend has either used me for their own gain or just doesn't follow my standards."
The older one chuckles and replies, "Yeah. Every day, there are more people that have fewer standards." After a brief, silent pause, the older one continues to speak. "Change of subject. Have you been following the newspapers lately?"
"Not really. Why?"
"Well, I've been reading about these Avengers. You know, Tony Stark, this guy dressed like our American Flag, some armored guy with long blonde hair, even the bi, green, buffed man."
"Yeah, what about them?"
"Well, that's just it. I don't know what to think of them. Some say that they can help us out and protect us if something major were to happen, like that alien invasion that happened a couple of months ago. Others say that they are dangerous though, and that they should not be trusted because they could very well turn on us."
His friend nods at this statement.
"Well," the oldest of them asked. "What do you think about them?"
"I think that we can trust them. I mean, sure they are more powered than probably are military is, but to them, this planet is their home. They do anything to protect it...and us."
The oldest man nods, which in turn, his buddy nods with him. Both men were about to get into the truck, but they did not get the chance. The only thing that the two of them remember was feeling tired and blackness covering their sight.
"Apprentice."
The Sith Guard stops short at his Master's words. "Yes, Master."
"Why did you not kill them?" Malkus gives him a hollow, yet dark stare. "We can't leave any witnesses."
Malkus moves past his student and stops directly above the two unconscious men that had been knocked out by the Sith Guard.
The Sith Guard, confidently and calmly, gives an answer. "Master, I did not kill them because if we did someone would have found their bodies. Even if we hid them extremely well, someone would have noticed them missing and started to get suspicious; and like you said, we have to keep a low profile. Therefore, by just knocking them out, people wouldn't think twice about it. I can smell alcohol on their breath. People will just think they passed out by drinking a little too much."
Malkus turns away from the two unconscious men and walks straight in front of his apprentice. Since they were of equal height, they both had direct eye contact. However, Malkus's eyes weren't as cold as they were earlier. The Sith Lord puts both of his hands on his apprentice's shoulders.
"You, apprentice...would make any Sith proud." Malkus releases his hands from his student's shoulders, but keeps looking directly into his pupils sith-colored eyes. "Even though you kill most of the time without hesitation, you still have the brains to think of any advantage you could use to forward yourself! You will one day surpass me; and when that day comes, everyone will fear and obey you."
After giving his student the encouragement he thought he needed, Malkus moves around the front of the truck, figures out how to open the door, and climbs in and sits in the passenger's seat.
The Sith Guard, infers from his Master, that he was to operate the transportation to the destination, since he was the one that had already been on this planet once. Moving to the driver's side door, he carefully steps over the two knocked out men, opens the door, and climbs into the driver's seat.
This thoughts start to go crazy at this piece of machinery. It was very different from any craft he had piloted or operated; yet, some things were familiar.
This is weird. He looks at the steering wheel in front of him. Hm...well I use this to steer, but I've never seen a wheel that was a complete circle. He notes the dashboard on front of him and his Master. What...why...why are there...like...only a few buttons?! Where are all the buttons?! This is crazy! This thing isn't deemed safe. It may not even work with so little buttons! After the short panic with the lack of controls, the Sith goes back into figuring how to start the machinery.
Using his instincts, he looks over to the right of the steering column and sees a set of keys hanging from a ring. One of the keys on the ring was already in a switch. Reaching out with one of his gloved hands, he grabs the key with his right thumb and index finger and twists it forward.
The machine comes to life with a roar as the engine revs up, then idles, waiting for its driver to make his first move.
"Crude, yet functional." Malkus crosses his arms and leans back in the worn out seat, while he waits for his student to make the next move.
Being open-minded, the Sith Guard senses the next to do. Reaching up with his right hand, he grips into the metal rod that was sticking out of the steering column, while he puts his foot on a pedal that was on the floor of the truck and to the left of another pedal. He pulls down on the level. Click, Click, Click. The truck jerks forward slightly at the change of gears, but doesn't move since the Sith had his foot of the brake.
After sensing that there were two changes of clothes behind the seat, the Sith Guard takes his foot off the brake. The truck idles forward and puts its front tires onto the paved road. Knowing the direction of the city the Halva was in, the Sith Guard turns the wheel to the left and smoothly takes his right foot and pushes down on the accelerator. The truck responds by driving completely onto the road and traveling the way the steering wheel was turned. At last, the two Sith were on their way to confront the Halva.
"HELLO BOYS! I'M BBBBBBBAAAAAAAAAAACCCCKKKKKKK!" -quote from Independence Day. Sorry it's been so long. My last weeks of summer got very busy and, to tell you the truth, I needed a break from this story to recollect my train of thought...and to keep what little sanity I have left. lol
Next chapter has a lightsaber duel, but probably not the one you're imagining. hehehe.
So, after this story's done, I plan to write a sequel. The sequel will be pretty long and should contain most, if not all, of the Avengers. But the question is, Will anybody want to read it? So far one person has said yes, but I hope that the rest of you will read it too.
Well, time to give my fingers a break. Expect more soon! ~TheJediAvenger~