Chapter 17- Korriban
I arrived at the Korriban Sith Academy in Dreshdae in the late evening. The sky was a light orange as if it were sunset. The Korriban sky was always this colour. It made the planet feel warm even on the rare occasion when snow fell from the sky atop the highest peaks. I had awoken a few minutes prior to landing with very little recollection on what had transpired. I remembered every thought that had gone through my mind and I had recalled mind wiping myself, what I wiped and why. I couldn't remember the specifics like how the planet looked or what it was called.
I headed through the ship to the landing bay. I was surprised to find the hull had torn open in three spots throughout the central chamber and the comms room was in lockdown as fire was spilling from the walls inside. I was also surprised that I had survived the trip with the vacuum of space pulling my ship inside out. They were likely from the storms…the storms… what storms? It was a thought I recalled, the first of the clues that would eventually lead me to remember the world I had worked hard to forget.
An officer in grey Sith uniform greeted me in the small town by the docking area.
"Greetings, welcome to Dreshdae. Do you have a learning permit?"
"No, but I am Sith. I would like to locate something I have lost. I would like to find a Sith acolyte attending here, she goes by the name Naresha."
"I'm incredibly sorry but I must ask your name in return."
"Of course, Atton Rand."
"I'm sorry. We have to records for that name."
"I go by another name… Jaq."
"No, that has been removed too."
Damn, the Sith must have found out that I was no longer working for them.
"I am very sorry, Mr. Rand, but there is nothing more I can do. Even if you were Sith on the databanks you would not be permitted in to the DreshdaeAcademy grounds."
"Why not?"
"There has been a… massacre constructed by traitor Yuthura Ban and another acolyte. That's all the information I can find you without risking the removal of my head."
I nodded and headed intercity. I believed it only right if I attended the Pazaak Den, so I did. There, are a few games and shots of 'Bloody Zillo' I was approached by an acolyte of the academy. She was Cathar and seemed to know Naresha.
"You're the one looking for Naresha are you not?"
"Yes, why?"
"You do not have to worry, she left a week ago to hunt in the mountains with her friend. The two are likely still up there, they undoubtedly survived."
That was a relief.
"Thank you very much, trainee. So what actually transpired here?"
"An acolyte's trials took him deep into the final tomb test. When he emerged Ban announced that she had risen to the light side of the Force. The man crazily screamed he was the bringer of all justice and purity. First Yuthura engaged and then the man killed the rest. Now that master Uthar Wyn in dead we have no choice but to seek a new master."
"Who will it be?"
"You'll have to ask the officer by the Dreshdae gate into the academy."
I nodded and headed deeper inside. I passed many areas, most containing dead bodies of troopers, slaves and acolytes. It was the Sith way for an acolyte to feel the need to prove themselves by slaughtering a few innocents – not only was id despicable, but embarrassing. Further past the markets and the cantina I found the exit of Dreshdae.
Outside the air was warm, but a cool and chilling wind swept over me. The doors to the academy were large. I couldn't help but feel how inferior this academy must have been compared to the one now lost in the back of my mind.
"Greetings, sir. I'm sorry but the academy is off limits, there's currently an undergoing investigation. Quite frankly I already busy trying to work out my own problems."
"Such as…" I implied.
"Such as finding a new academy master. We've got Darth Vargos, Darth Trais, Darth Ungar, Fellov Wet, Quarth Lingo, Tyrin Qote. Any idea?"
I thought for a moment and said the first name that came into mind.
"How about Darth Sion?"
"Why… that's not such a bad idea. His name isn't on my list, he would be quite the right man for the job. The Sith acolyte these days see the Dark Side as something they need to be to kill innocents and we can thank Wynn for that. This Sion fellow is bound to brutalize the place a bit. Was there anything I could help you with?"
"Yes, if this place is in lockdown I believe its safe to assume that the quartermaster won't be in."
"Yes, why, has he got something of yours?"
"Yes he does, and I want it back."
"I see. Well, he'll be in the cantina. If that's all I'll have to ask you kindly to move along."
"Thank you very much." I said as I wiped our meeting from his mind. The weak minded were always the easier ones. Did that make me weak minded?
The Cantina was no more than a diner. A diner was too pretty to be evil so I assumed it was called as such to reflect the corruption of the Sith. The Cantina seemed to be the only location in Dreshdae untouched by the massacre. The Czerka offices had been ransacked by thugs, the armory had been been robbed and there were posters everywhere requesting that a Twi'lek, Yuthura Ban, be found. The name was familiar, she was strong with the Dark Side and was second only to the old master of the Sith Academy, Uthar Wynn. Ban was not only a Sith but an escaped slave from the Hutts of Sleheyron. She was as deadly as she was beautiful.
She was beautiful, now she's probably among the dead. Right about now I'd have said something amusing and funny but when thinking of physical attraction all I saw was my love. The woman I had betrayed had cursed me with guilt, and rightly so. There was a Quarren sitting up the back of the room, beside him a Human. The Human was Vargo, the very same Rick Vargo who I had given everything to.
"Quartermaster Vargo." I said, interrupting his conversation with the Quarren. He turned and went pale, shocked he flattened himself against the wall and the Quarren beside him fled.
"A…A- A- A- Atton, I thought you was dead?" He stuttered.
"What makes you say that Vargo? Have you sold her?"
"A- A- A-"
"Have… you… sold her?" I smiled, he couldn't possibly know if I was a Sith.
"No, Atton. You was my best customer, I'd wouldn't ever sell your gal. I'm just surprised to see youse is all."
"And why is that?" I said, taking the seat where the alien once sat.
"I heards that them Sith were killing off the remainder of you assassin buddies."
"Where'd ya here this, Rick?"
"I heards it from another Sith Lord. I heards that there was a massacre only half a day ago at that academy you was training at. All 'dem assassin buddies of yours is dead."
What? I felt no sorrow for the fallen, they deserved to be dead… but only if redemption wasn't possible. I too felt guilt stricken, I was the best yet I survived. But maybe that's why I survived, because I was the best.
"I gave her to you to look after, Rick. Now I want her back. I need you to help me out man."
"You need to pay the other five thousand credits first."
"Nice try buddy, I already paid. I know that, and you know that."
"Hmmm, maybe another two hundred would refresh my memory."
I slammed my fist onto the table.
"Take me to her!"
He jumped, everyone in the cantina did too.
"Okay, okay. Calm down Atton, my man. I will take you to her, there is no need to make a scene. Are you sure you wouldn't like to play a game of Pazaak first?"
"Look, Vargo. I love you, man, but no. I can't. Not yet. This is serious and I need something of mine that you have."
"Atton… I-"
"You know what I mean."
"I don't."
"Liar. Take me to the Violet Horizon."
It was an half an hour walk out of Dreshdae to the offsite Sith storage facility. The facility had remained untouched by the massacre, much like the cantina. It was a hangar made from red mudbrick, but the hangar doors were metal and lowered from inside the mudbrick to conceal the contents of the safe rooms. The Horizon was in one of them.
Good ol' Rick Vargo stopped outside one of the bigger locked caves and beside the door pressed down onto a keypad. The doors began to slowly raise and I excitedly grinned at my girl. The ship was a spectacular beauty. I loved it… but not in a creepy way… the same way you'd love a pet Gizka.
The ship began to move out of the vault, it sat on a large plasteel floor that moved out of the vault as the door opened. The ship rested upon it. I approached my girl and subtly removed a detonator from my ribbed jacket pocket. I dropped it on the ground under where the door moved up and down, it landed button up. I outstretched my arms to hug it, I could almost kiss her (but she hadn't been maintenance by Rick very often and was likely greasy).
"Rick, my man. Good on you."
"You don't have to wait. Once the plasteel ramp brings the ship into the centre you can just fly her out."
I approached the man, shook his hand, patted him on the back and rustled his thick black hair before heading up the landing ramp. The chair was comfy, and that's all I cared about. From the Bridge window I could see Vargo wave goodbye before turning away and heading back towards the path to Dreshdae.
The Horizon kicked into gear a loud whir emitting from the engine far behind me (that'd have to be fixed I remember telling myself). I went up, up, up. Below me the door to the Horizon's personal hangar went down, down, down.
Upon landing, (in my three minutes of consciousness), I had hooked up all my cargo to explosives. Most of it was Peragus mined fuel, explosive, but cheap. All my main armaments and missiles were thrown into the pile and I prepared myself for one hell of a shockwave. Below me, the door closed and pressed down on the detonator button.
Suddenly the ship shunted forwards a small amount and as I looked behind me I saw the Dreshdae docks burst into bright purple, blue and green flames. It was beautiful, and best of all most Sith probably died in that explosion. I had successfully damaged the Sith the Atton way and destroyed the Sleheyron's Bishop. Pure Pazaak!
The Bishop represented a part of my life I was glad to be rid of.
Though I wouldn't completely be rid of it as I would come to find.
But who cared? I was Atton.
And I was back.