Something Dreadful this way comes.

Darth Dread · Something Dreadful this way comes.

((This will be my ongoing story for my character Darth Dread. I will begin with his child hood and eventually include stories and ideas that have been played out here on the board. Please post any comments in the "Comments for Something Dreadful this way comes." Thread.
Thanks and I hope you enjoy. Very Happy

My Name: Kadan Asyl Antaka (this name no longer has any meaning to me, for I am a Sith)

My Sith name: Darth Dread

My story:
I was born and bred to live in the shadows. Since my birth I was trained in the ways of stealth, subturfuge, and assassination, It was the trade of my family. My skills at these arts were enhanced by an uncanny ability to sense the future, a trait I could utilize to move that much more quickly than my enemy and seem to anticipate thier moves. I found I can also influence others and effect their fears through the Nagai's inate empathy. I found I could wrap myself in a cloak of darkness and remain seemingly invisible to my enemies. I would later find out that these strange gifts were raw force abilities that I have yet to be able to fully understand or control.

My family was under the oppression of the Tors and escaped enslavement shortly after my birth. As years passed we made our way through the galaxy always fleeing and hiding from the Tor slave trackers, until one fateful day when I was 10 standard years old.

My first true memories begin here so my story begins here...

Darth Dread

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!!!!

"The rear deflector shields are gone! I'm transfering power to the"...BAAAAAM! The ship suddenly lurched to the side as another blaster bolt hit our small ship. My father in mid sentence is thrown from the work station and slams hard to the metal grid floor as sparks and burning wires explode from where he once stood. Time seems to slow almost to a stand-still and the ringing in my ears drowns out the warning alarm. As much as I would like to turn away I can not tear my eyes from my fathers unconcious form on the ships floor. His face and arm is badly burned and blood is splattered over his face and chest. He must be dead, I think to myself...OH NO WE WILL ALL DIE NOW! my 10 year old panic suddenly filling me with fear.

"Kaden!"... "KADEN!" my mothers voice snaps me back to reality. She sits behind the controls of our small ship calm but clearly desperate.
"I need you to get up and finish what your father was doing." she says in a soothing but stern voice. "Go now, You've done this before. I can't keep dodging them." she turns back to the star filled view port.

Gathering myself I unbuckle myself and go to the weapons and defensive controls. I check the system and find that the explosion and electrical fire has fried the control system and there is no way to transfer the needed power to the rear shields. A wave of nausea comes over me as I turn to my mother and begin to tell her.

Just as I am turning I see my father move. "He's alive!" I scream. running from my station to him, I am at his side, when... BAAAAAM! the ship gets rocked and I am thrown hard into the ceiling. Then Blackness.

Waking from my dark sleep, I open my eyes and find only one opens completely. A burning pain stabs at my left eye and I can't open it. My vision is blurry and I can't help but to feel as though I am still in a dream. My ears are ringing and what I can see is foggy and shadowy, my body feels light and I sense I am floating.

BAAAAAM....BAAAAAAM! The ship lurches but I do not move and I am startled into reality. I am floating and so is my father who is furiously working the command station with one arm, the other hangs lifeless and twisted at his side.

"Grav field power is lost I can't rerout it!" He screams at my mother who is struggling to maintain control. "That last one took out our hyper drive!" We have no other systems to draw from!" We have to land some where! NOW! He screams

"If we can make it thru the atmosphere we can land...Strap Kaden in and hold on!" She says.

I feel my father grab me from the floating comfort of zero gravity and strap me to the seat. He then does the same and I feel the violent shake of a planets atmosphere as we try to break thru.

The ship seems to shake so bad that it will fall apart I feel sick but fear seems to stem that feeling. As sure as I knew we were going to shake apart, it stops and the view port is filled with blue skies and clouds. I feel my weight return and notice that I am bleeding from my head.

Skimming the tree tops and grassy plains I can see no signs of civilization and wonder where we are and where we will hide this time. "There, that looks good." my father points to an area of a tight walled valley.

Finally on solid ground I rush to open the ramp as the ship fills with smoke. As the ramp decends I am grabbed up and carried out of the burning ship by my father. I just happen to look back as the ship explodes in a firey ball of black smoke. and we are catapulted by the shock wave and land hard onto the grassy field.

I manage to sit up and watch as our ship is transformed into a melting unrecognizable form of fire and dura-steel.
"Where are we?" I croak

My mother answers. "Before we lost astrogation, I managed to get us to Dantooine. It is sparcley populated but I think I saw some buildings a few kilometers from here to the west."

"We need to get moving." my father says. " It won't be too hard for the Tor trackers to see that smoke. They won't be fooled for long even if they think we went up with the ship." He concludes as he rises.

Who do you think the Tor tracker is...He's really good" My Mother asks

"I'd say by the ship markings and tactics, its got to be Barfon d'kripplar. No one else is so hot to get us they're willing to kill us rather than bring us back to enslavement." My father replies.

"d'Kripplar..." my mother says with a slight quiver of fear in her voice. He's real good. We need to get out of here NOW! she says while gathering me up and taking my hand.

The next few hours seem to trudge by as the endless grassy plain stretches out before us. All the while running as fast as we can in a deliberate pattern so as to hide our tracks and direction. Night fall comes and we finally stop entering a clearing surrounded by a ring of shear rock walls. We head to this barrier and find a tree growing near the wall hides a cave. My father peers in cautiously and decides that it has been unused by man or beast for some time.

Just as I enter behind my mother I feel a strange tingling in me and I am compelled to look skyward. As I glance to the star filled sky i see a streak of fire pass over. I point and say "LOOK, a shooting star!. My mother grabs me and follows my outstretched arm to see it too. I am suddenly filled with dread...not my own but my mothers. Her fear eminates from her and is almost a panic. "Cmon, lets go...Get inside, that's no star." she whispers as she pushed me into the darkness of the cave.

Darth Dread

Darkness.

Some find it frightening but I find a soothing comfort in it, like a dark blanket I wrap myself in it, still to this day.

In the cave, the dark is so engulfing that you can not even see your own hand in front of you. The only light is that of the Dantooine night sky at the mouth of the cave. My father explains that a fire must not be built but hands out a small ration pack that we all share. It is cold and bland but it is nutritious and I am famished so I devour what little I am given. We sit in silence, each of us in our own thoughts. I however, can not help but to sense the fear eminating from my parents. There is an undeniable sense of doom that I feel in this cave. I am not sure that I have ever felt it like this before. It is as if I am suddenly seeing a vision before me, but it is not the cave...It is a different place and I am being carried away as I see my parents fallen and dead... "NOOOOOOOOO!" I scream.

"Kaden! What is it?" My mother voice interrupts my vision. "You were crying out in your sleep!"

I am aware of her touch as she shakes my shoulder. "I was not asleep, mother but, it was as if I was dreaming." I explain.

Though I can not see, I sense my parents glancing at each other and an odd feeling of being stared at by them. An uncomfortable feeling of being different and out of place creeps into my thoughts. I have felt that a lot lately but I try not to give it too much thought and quickly bury the feeling deep inside me.

"Well you must not yell like that. If d'Kripplar is out there we can't afford to give him any advantage." You must practice silence, son. You are young still, but you will find that the silence and shadows will aid you, and you must learn to use them as a tool or a weapon to your advantage." She whispers.

Soon the adrenelin of the days events wears off and I am overwhelmed by the need to sleep. My last ounce of energy is only enough to lay back where I am and allow myself to drift off in the warm embrace of the darkness.

The dreams, or rather nightmares have come in my sleep more often as of late. Or, perhaps I just seem to remember them more often. Regardless, I am startled awake by the same vision, of my parents cut down in front of me and a robed figure standing over thier lifeless bodies. Blaster fire seems to be all around and then I am being dragged away... Then darnkness.

It is the suddenness that the darkness covers me that awakens me. I open my eyes and can see the pink light of morning shining into teh mouth of the cave. My parents are still asleep and I go to the opening and look out onto this planet we have called home for the night. All around is high grass swaying back and forth as a gentle breeze blows thru the strange valley of high sheer rock walls that encircle it.

I catch a glimps of shimmering light off to my left. I strain to see into the glare of the rising sun but can't make out what it is. Looking back into the cave, my childish curiosity takes over my better judgement and I decide to take acloser look...It might be a city or a ship we can steal to run away. I think to myself.

I begin running in the direction and realize that it is a small pond or lake that is merely reflecting the light of the morning sun. I decide to continue on and retrieve some water for us when it dawns on me as I reach the shore, a short time later that I have no way of carrying any back. A noise catches my attention. Its a hum of a speeder and it is approaching from beyond a small rise. I look around and take cover in a small patch of reeds along the shore. Just as I settle in the speeder comes to stop at the shore line a few meters down from me. Two figures emerge, both are huge green skinned tor males. From the weapons they carry and armor they wear it is obvious that they are slave trackers from d'Kripplars force.

"Check the water for purity" the driver commands the other as he takes out a range scanner and begins to look thru it scanning the land and horizon.

The other Tor scoops some of the water into a flask and shakes it. A light flashes followed by a quiet beep and then the man turns and says. "It's clean, I'll fill our containers and mark the area for the main ship to load up."

I look over to the driver and notice the same thing his partner does. He is locked onto something with his range scanner. I turn to see what he see's fearing he has spotted our cave. His view angle appears to be too short and he is following something back to the shore.

Panic sddenly overtakes me as I understand what he is seeing... My trail. I ran straight here and took no precautions to cover my tracks. In the tall grass it is as easy to see as if I had left a lighted marker.

What'cha spyin'? Hopefully somethin' to eat." the subordinant chuckles as he turns to the speeder and removes the water storage containers. The driver drops the scanner from his eyes and turns to his partner. "Nah, not nothin' to eat...But maybe, some bait to catch a bigger prey!" He spins in my direction and draws his blaster. COME OUTTA THERE, LITTLE NAGAI! He says with authority.

I am at a loss, and panic. I can't run to the cave...I'd never make it and if I did they'd find my parents. I can't run behind me as there is a lake there. Looking around I decide.
I take off running down the shore line opposite from the Tors and away from the cave. I feel a surge of adreneline pump into me as the grassland at my periphery blurs and a sense of tunnel vission takes over, I feel I am running faster than I ever have. Topping a small hill I see another figure ahead still a ways away but it apears to be a female maybe a human. I seem to be aproaching much faster than even I realize when a blaster bolt singes my arm. I turn behind me an see the Tor speeder coming up on me the passenger hanging out the side firing a hand blaster.

I turn back and stumble, landing hard on the grassy plain and sliding as the speeder passes over me. The repulsor force helps to pin me to the ground and yet I tumble underneath it, rollingto a stop as the shadow of the speeder passeson.

I struggle to rise as a powerful grip grabs me up by my hair. I am yanked up to the vile stare of Tor eyes. "Your fast kid. Almost outran the speeder, but not a blaster." He grins an evil grin.

"You there, unhand the boy!" a female voice catches the attention of my Tor captors.

"This is none of your concern missy, just turn around before you regret being nosey!" He says.

I think you will find, it is you who will find nothing but regret by continuing this action. Now, UNHAND THE BOY!" Her voice now very commanding. I turn to see her finally as she pulls back her robe reveling a metal cylinder attached to her belt. Her hand hovers over it and both of my captors change demenor almost instantly.

"She's a Jedi" The passenger whisper over to the bigger.
"That may be but it doesn't change nothin'. Be ready, signal the ship." He whispers back. "Now, now, Jedi missy, I don't want any trouble, but this is complicated and I just can't let him go." It would be a travesty of justice. And, you would want that now would you Jedi missy?" He says in a mocking tone.

She continues to advance and the large Tor who clutches my hair releases his hold on me only to then grab me around the throat with his arm. I strggle but it is of no use and he simply squeezes my neck more until I stop struggling. He lifts me up in front of him and I feel the cold barrel of the blaster placed against my head.
"Now little Jedi missy, you might want to stop right where you are or there'll be nothin' left to save 'cept a corpse."

The woman stops but I can not read her face. She simply stares blankly at the Tor who has me and speaks. "You will release the boy. You don't need him as a prisoner."

To which I hear the Tor repeat what she said in a monotone voice, and his hold on me begins to loosen. I squirm free and stop only long enough to meet the woman's eyes, the I turn and run for the cave with the same speed as before.

In the distance behind me I hear a strange snap-hiss sound and blaster fire and electrical humming followed by screams of pain, but I continue to run as fast and as hard as I can.

Darth Dread

Decisions and Destiny...

I suprise even myself with the speed I arrive back to the cave. I see niether of my parents and yell into the cave as I finally come to a stop. I am damp with sweat and can barely get the words out as I gasp for breath.

They come quickly to the entrance and my father catches me just as I am about to fall. "What is it Kaden, What has happened?" I here my father ask as he checks me for injury.

"The Tors have found me!" I gasp. "They caught me but I got away! We have to go, we have to leave now! I say excitedly between breaths.

"Are you sure?" He asks me.

"Yes, they caught me and I ran but a woman helped me and I ran as fast as I could...We have to leave! I say.

My mother turns and runs into the cave, emerging just as fast with our supply pack. "Lets go!" she says, as I am jerked up into my fathers arm and we begin to run.

The pace is steady but quickly slows to a fast walk as we make distance between us and the cave but there is an uneasy feeling that hits me as we top the next hill... A feeling I've seen this place before. In fact, it looks no different than any of the rest of this planet I've seen but there is something familiar. Just as we embark down the path that leads us down into the valley, a strange hum fills the distance. It seems to come from everywhere and we all look around trying to catch sight of this foriegn sound but can find no cause. "Probablly a native animal" My father assures us.
Crossing over the appex, from nowhere a speeder tops the hill and comes to a stop, blocking our path. Before we can move a robed figure emerges.
As the hood is pulled back I can see it is the woman who helped me,

"It's her, the woman I told you about." I say

"Yes!" She says. "And with no thank you in return." she adds with a slight smirk. "I am Jedi Master Wu Wen Verdi. " She bows toward my parents. "And you have quite a fast little one there." She smiles looking at me.

Over the next few minutes my parents and I recount the past days and weeks and the reason we are on the run. The Jedi listens intently nodding every now and then, but all the while she never takes her eyes off of me. I feel strangely at ease with her stare though and simply listen along and add my parts to the story when asked.

"Well, it ertainly sounds like a horrible existence living under the Tors brutality. I don't know how much I can help you though, a bounty that big might even temp some as nobel as a Jedi." she says with a chuckle.
I can offer your son... Kaden? Yes, Kaden. I can offer him a way out of this life. He exibits certain gifts that I have witnessed. I believe he could become a Jedi." She tells them, winking at me.

My parents exchange looks and seem genuinly torn as to what to do.

"You would ask us to give you, a total stranger, our only son?" My mother asks with an edge of exasperation in her voice.

"I would think that you would want what is concidered by many to be a better life for him. The life of a Jedi is a noble and just life of service to the galaxy. He would be free from running and hiding and would no longer be afraid. A life that any parent would and should be proud of. A decision that should devoid of shelfish attachment." The Jedi says in response.

"Oh you mean like selfish attachments like a loving family?' my mother retorts, while standing to confront the unmoving Jedi.

"The Jedi would become his family and in years after he has completed his knighting, he could seek you out should he wish to." Master Verdi says cooly. "You must do what is best for the boy. He shows a powerfull display of raw force ability. That talent must not be squandered by iving the life of vagabonds and fugitives. Please don't let petty feelings prevent his growth. I see his destiny as cloudy an dark but let me take him and his future is that of a powerful Force user who will bring great change to the galaxy." The Jedi finishes.

"Jedi, you will have to kill me first, before I ever release him to you and your preprogrammed dogma. He chooses his own path and destiny." My mother says.

Turning, she grabs my hand and looks to my father who nods and gives a reassuring smile. "Good day Master Jedi." He says with a bit of gracious indignance, bowing deeply. Turning to our new direction I see kilometers of grassy plain before me, we begin down the hill.

Suddenly I hear my father scream, OH Nooo! RUN!
Then a familiar snap-hiss followed by an electric hum.
As my mother and I turn back up to the top of the hill to see my father. I catch only a glimps of the swing of a glowing blue saber. The a massive roar brings brings an explosion and then darkness.

Darth Dread

A medium freighter retrofitted with armor and armaments silently glided over the grassy plain just a few meters over the surface. A green skinned Tor sat at the pilots helm, a large male decked out in a hodge-podge of armor and weapons like his ship. He stares intently on the horizon, every now and then glancing at the sensors in front of him.

"Captain d'Kripplar, we have four life forms 2 kilometers straight ahead. There is a speeder with a exhaust signature reading like the reading we found near your brothers body." Another Tor at a tech station announced.

d'Kripplar flinched slightly at the last sentence but it was not visible to his crew. "Slow speed, engage silencers! Weapons on line at my control!" He barks to the crewmen he commands.

As they pass the next rise d'Kripplar gets a visual on what his sensors have told him was there. Four humanoids, two females who seem to be arguing One a robed figure but a human female there was no doubt, the other was most definitly a Nagai female. Also more passively standing beside the speeder were two males, one clearly a child, the other clearly an adult male Nagai.

"Targeting!" d'Kripplar says as a target visor lowers from the ceiling of wires and components. With teh magnification, d'Kripplar is able to see his prey clearly and is confident of thier stealth. "Target...speeder...lowest power setting, and...."

Just as his finger pushes the fire button on his weapons control. d'Kripplar see's the child and mother walk off down the otherside of the hill. The robed woman seems to turn with a light saber in hand as the laser fires from the cannon. The blast visor darkens as the laser seemed to deflect from the saber and then hit the speeders power fuel cell and explodes with a thunderous boom, and it takes d'Kripplar a moment to see again.

When he does he sees the burning twisted debris of the speeder and thick black smoke pouring into the blue dantooine sky. "All ahead." He says with a smile.

The ship lands and several Tor mercenaries pour from the open hatch with weapons drawn. One gives the all clear and microseconds later d'Kripplar emerges down the ramp and onto the grassy land. "Scout the area and find the bodies, I want some compensation for my brothers life." He spits at his soldiers, who immediately scatter and comply.

d'Kripplar approaches the wreckage and attempts to see into the smoke and fire, any sign of bodies. the hypnotic pattern of the raging fire cast illusions of motion to d'Kripplars mind and he shakes his head slightly regaining his faculties.

Captain, we found only slave identification chips. They are badly damaged but the I.D. check confirms these were the escapee's we've been tracking." A mercenary says while handing over to small cylinders burned and smelling of charred flesh.

d'Kripplar takes them in his hand and holds them up to his nose inhaling the scent deeply. "Credits in the hold." He says more to himself. The soldier acknowledges with a nod.

"Captain! A ship is approaching our position...fast! It's signature is one used only by the Jedi!" A voice says yelling out of the ramp.

Ahhhggg, cursed Jedi! I wanted that saber as a trophy. Pack it up boys, we have enough for a profit! d'Kripplar commands as he jogs to the entrance ramp. With one more look at the inferno he glimpses a flicker of motion in the dancing flames.... "just some jedi mind trick, I'm sure." he mutters to himself with a chuckle.

The ship lifts and hovers a moment. With a boom the sublight engines roar to life, accelerating the ship furiously. With a final thrust it ] takes off with a near verticle rush to the outer reaches of space.

Silently a figure emerges from the flames carrying a child. curiously neither seems more than singed by the inferno behid them. Once cleared from teh brunt of the heat the Jedi Wu Wen Verdi falls to her knees, placing the boy gently on the ground. She quickly checks his vitals and places her hand to his head. As she closes her eyes the Force is moved in the boy...he will be alright. she thinks to herself.

Rising she goes over to the flames and enters the inferno once again. The flames seem to wrap around her but never touch her. Emerging a short time later she drags to charred bodies from the wreckage and looks to the horizon. Turning she reaches out with her hand and her light saber hilt comes to her.

She ignites it with a snap-hiss and waves it skyward.

Another ship approaches and lands. the occupants emerge wearing various shades of brown robes. One looks skyward as the sound of a sonic boom echoes through the valley. A fire supression system activates and the new ship makes quick work of the flames.

"Master Verdi, it is good to see you alive. What has happened?" A female Jedi Human says approaching her.

Powering down her saber she walks over to the female Jedi and with a smile and a hug she turns to the wreckage and the bodies and with a slight laugh says. "Well, Master M' stieblu as you can see I managed to wreck another speeder...but I managed to trade it for a new recruit."

with a touch of seriousness overtaking her she continues to fill in the gaps to the Jedi and a silent bow is done over the bodies of the deceased.

"The boy is conscious!" A medic says over the chaos. "we need to get him to the temple for medical evaluation."

Within a few minutes all the Jedi have boarded the ship and it makes it's way back to the Jedi Temple.