Sol's Ascension

Andereth Sol · Sol's Ascension

The planet Ossus has been bombarded by both the Force and mighty fleets of battleships, yet it has never remained barren for long. A bastion of the Jedi for many years, it is said that its bond to those who once occupied it is so strong that some of their healing energy rubbed off on it, and though one can still find craters beneath the dense foliage it is hard to believe a battle has ever marred its surface. The long forgotten temples built by the Jedi still stand, but seem to be part of the landscape, overgrown with moss and surrounded by trees. A warm wind always seems to be blowing through the forests, whispering soothingly to all who listen. None of this, however, mattered to Andereth Sol, initiate of the dark side. He had been on Ossus a long time, training with Dalren, the one man he had ever called master. Dalren had preached to him about the weak being unworthy to survive, and every time he did so, Andereth felt a thought tug at the back of his mind. He never managed to capture it.

Dalren was an old man, in his seventies at least, and this made combat practice difficult. He had some droids, but Andereth could predict the way each of them would attack by now, so there was little point in their use. Dalren told him that the force was far more important anyway, and that he was above physical combat. Andereth quietly disagreed. Enough great Force users had been killed physically that he needed to train and ensure that he did not meet the same fate. Today he would need to use all of his skills, for Dalren was testing him. He looked down the hall he was about to enter and, seeing nothing, moved inside. Almost too late his force-assisted reflexes allowed him to dodge the dart trap he had stepped on. He had gotten sloppy already. He cursed silently, then picked himself up from the ground and continued, reaching out with the Force to sense further dangers. Almost immediately he sensed great energy behind the door he was now facing. Droids, at least four. And he was unarmed.

He tried the door and, finding it locked, focused on its inner mechanisms, tricking them into unlocking. Easing the door open he saw five droids, two with lightsabers, three with blasters. He reached out and, envisioning a river of power sweeping his foes away, he caused two of the blaster droids to smash into the wall behind them. They were typical Jedi training models, but old and corroded, and they hit the wall with a satisfying crunch. The remaining blaster droid turned and fired at him, and the lightsaber droids closed to dice him. They were probably only training sabers set on full stun, but it would still be best to not get hit. Andereth leapt sideways to avoid the blaster bolt, then rolled under the guard of one of the saber droids and kicked its legs from under it, his leg jarring painfully from the impact, then stood and stomped on its head, sending out a shower of sparks that caused him further pain. He forced down his feelings and focused on his objective. Reaching out with the force once more he ripped one of the blaster droid's arms from its body, took the blaster, and fired repeatedly at the remaining saber droid as the one-armed droid beside him looked on helplessly. It would affect the battle no longer.

The saber droid deflected the blaster bolts, as Andereth had anticipated. Most of the shots would have missed anyway. He ran at it and threw the gun at its legs, causing it to bring its saber down in a parry. He then leapt up, spun in midair to gain power, and kicked its head from its body. He stayed only a moment to pant and massage his protesting right leg before he was off to the other side of the room, striding through the door. The floor crumbled beneath him as he entered the hallway, but he reacted a second earlier and sprung away, grabbing the other side of the newly revealed chasm. He managed to haul himself up and was off again. He was no longer as energetic as when he had begun, and he breathed heavily as he rounded another corner. He could sense he was nearing his objective, and sure enough the hallway ended in a cave. His eyes slowly adapting to the darkness he advanced until he stood at the center of what he had no doubt was the final room. He could see a stone pedestal, poorly carved, at the far end of the room. And resting on it was a suit of blood red armor.

Andereth approached slowly. Dalren had mentioned a gift awaiting him at the end, and here it was. But it was too simple. Even by watching holovids one could figure out that the final treasure was never unguarded, and Andereth knew that Dalren would expect him to be impatient. He paused as his foot struck something, looking down just as a mechanical arm erupted from the earth beneath him. He leapt back and watched as a huge, spidery construct, cobbled together from many droid parts, hauled itself from the cavern floor and brought two of its ten photoceptors to bear on him. Blasters of all kinds emerged from its sides and aimed at him, and he hesitated only a moment before leaping to the side. A moment, however, was too long, and Andereth felt great heat pass his head. A bit of ash fell past his face. He realized it had once been several strands of hair. He looked around the cavern for a weapon and, seeing several large rocks, ran toward them. He nearly slipped on a patch of ice created by a beam from his foe, which was shattered only a moment later by fire from a heavy repeater. This was not practice. If he failed he would die.

Andereth focused once more on the mighty river that was the force, envisioning it lifting the boulders and hurling them at the droid. He opened his eyes in time to see it stagger slightly, then slip on a patch of its own ice. Seizing the oppurtunity he flung another boulder at it, knocking it back once more. He was, however, out of ammunition, and his target had yet to drop. He noticed that each gun could be covered by a metal shutter, and an idea struck him. He ran forward and grabbed the droid, forcing the shutter over its plasma cannon shut just in time for it to fire. The droid rocked back and forth as its internal systems were ravaged by heat, and Andereth continued his assault, ripping out the heavy repeater and firing it again and again, the bursts ripping into the droid's weakened weapon ports or sometimes glancing off its still strong armor. Finally the droid ceased its twitching, and he dropped the blaster. Dalren must have spent a long time finding all the parts for it, not to mention assembling it. It was almost a pity. Andereth turned back to the pedestal and walked to it, investigating the armor it supported.

The armor was tough but surprisingly light for its size, and was clearly cortosis laced. It could stand up to a glancing blow from a lightsaber, Andereth thought with awe. Carefully he put it on. He felt an ancient force within it, a force filled with hatred. A name filled his mind: Tsero Baas, Jedi hunter, master of the dark side. And in that moment Andereth knew everything he needed. He knew what he must do. He turned and walked back to where he had begun. When he emerged Dalren was waiting for him.

"You have done well, Andereth. Remember that, in the future, your foes will be living, and far more dangerous."

"It has occured to me, 'master', that in all your teaching about the weak being unworthy you never included yourself. You are an old man who hides from what he could become. You rely on me for protection. You are pathetic, and today your life ends."

Andereth stepped forward, his gauntlet outstretched, and grabbed his teacher around the throat. He squeezed, and Dalren gasped, but did not cry out in pain. He did not fight his student as he was strangled and shocked by the pulse gauntlets. He merely said:

"Now you are learning."

((OOC: Please post feedback in the thread Discussion: Sol's Ascension))