Concealed in the Sand. (Open)

[E.A. Poe]

(For this thread, I plan to have Daken train in one of the Dark-Side caves that is inhabited by a Tarentatek. Here he will be tainted by the Dark-Side, and realize the need for his desperation form, Aj Minata. This is where his training begins, and anyone who wants to be in on it is welcome to jump in at any time.)

::Daken had bought enough food to last someone like him several days in even the harsh wilderness of Tatooine. The settlement of Weld-Wedge was not a forboding one, and passing through it had not been hard. However, it was not the town that had interested him the most.
After spending a few hours resting, Daken had left the settlement, wrapping his head and face in a scarf to protect himself from the sand and the hot sun. He had walked for several miles before finding a spot that he deemed interesting; One of the large caves that was almost certainly an entrance to the underground tunnels of Tatooine. He thumbed his outer robe out of the way of his lightsaber and entered.
There was something strange about it, but the force was strong in this place. It was something that he had never felt, and it held a strange sway over his attention. He pulled his saber off of his belt, and entered the cave silently, hearing strange noises from within.::

[E.A. Poe]

::Daken moved deeper into the cave, taking note of his surroundings. The exterior of the cave did not betray how deep it went, or how high the sandstone walls and ceilings spanned. There was an ambient darkness, and Daken often found himself relying on his senses other than sight, and the force. The sense of magnetism towards the deepest parts of the cave grew stronger, as did the gutteral and screeching noises.
Daken held his saber close, keeping it inactive. He stayed close to one of the walls as he saw a light ahead of him. This was seemingly the source of the noises, and Daken recognized some of the rabble as the speech of the native Tuskan Raiders. The rest seemed too sinister to protrude from such a source. Daken stopped just short of the room with the fire, keeping out of sight and searching the room with his feelings and his mind.
Whatever the things in the room were now, they had been Raiders once. However, sensing them was very strange. The darkness in them was strong. There was a sense that they belonged here. There was something disturbing about them. They were not what they seemed to be.
Daken stepped around the corner, and the seven of them immediately took notice. Daken held out his hand in a gesture of peace, but the Raiders took up their weapons and became the agressors. Daken ignited his saber, dousing the small cavern in a purple light against the orange of the fire. He deflected two blaster bolts into the chest of the Raider that had fired them, feeling strange as he reached out with his force sense. The Raider did not go down. Daken instantly began to concieve of what was going on here.::

[E.A. Poe]

::Daken deflected four more blaster bolts, waiting for the four raiders that did not have blasters to close the distance. It was then that he realized just how large these raiders were. The creatures were more than six and a half feet tall. Daken took a step backwards and to the side, letting his body be shielded by the large bodies of the Tuskan Raiders.
He deflected one blow, cutting the crude clubbing weapon coming at him in half. The large Zabrak swung his lightsaber in a wide arc, severing both arms of the first aggressor. As the next clubbing attack came, Daken side-stepped, shouldering the wounded Raider out of the way while slashing off the right hand of the second attacker. Daken then lashed out with the force.
The raiders did not fly backwards as they should have. Daken caught a blow to his left pectoral by the only melee attacker left uninjured, forcing him to step backwards. He noticed that the wounded Raiders were not backing down and that as they drew closer and continued to attack, he felt a sense of dreadful hatred towards them. His brow dropped low, and the anger filled his face.
The uninjured Raider was gunned down from behind by his eager allies while the other two continued forward. Daken swung his saber in another wide, backhanded arc, decapitating the two raiders in front of him, and immediately began deflecting blaster bolts back at his attackers, realizing that it took far too many bolts to put each of them down, and that none of them ceased firing as they were destroyed by their own attacks. As the Raiders fell dead, Daken deactivated his saber and thought through the silence, feeling anger welling up within him.::
*This place...few have walked further than this room and returned...*
::Of this he was certain, but there was a strange sense of calling from the deepest chambers, and the cavern seemed to laugh at the fear that rose in his chest. Daken proceeded to walk further down into the cave, against his best judgements.::

[E.A. Poe]

::The cave was dark once again, as Daken had deactivated his lightsaber. The growling noises in the cave grew louder, and a rancid stench came to Daken's nostrils. It was the smell of decay, as though nothing could survive here. However, there was something more disturbing than this.
Daken had lived his whole life with the Jedi order. He had been raised to be confident, strong, and a thinking man. Never in his life had he felt a fear like the one that threatened to buckle his knees now. He could not feel the force here. He knew that he had no ally here but himself, and the strongest part of him that held his connection to the force.
Daken continued to place one foot in front of the other, trekking deeper into the cave. Once again, a light came to Daken's eyes. An erie, green glow came from around a sharp bend in the red walls. As Daken moved closer, the fear grew until it threatened to consume him. Upon reaching the entrance to the cavern, Daken discovered the source of his fear.
In the far end of the cavern, Daken saw the beast of legend, and in his fear, knew not how to comprehend its fearsome presence and name. The walls themselves, lined with glowing, green crystals, seemed to whisper the name to him as the monster turned its eyes towards him. Terentatek...
The beast charged, and Daken tried to retreat. He couldn't move. Each time he called upon his feet to flee, he felt as though he would fall over. The beast barrelled forward, and Daken fell to his knees. Then an devastating, life changing event took place. Daken's fear transformed as the Terentatek came to bear. The fear in him rose up in anger towards the Monster in front of him, chanelling all of his might, and the might surrounding him into something stronger than Daken had ever felt...desperation.
Igniting his lightsaber, Daken rose as the terror that was the Terentatek descended upon him. The battle of his life began.::

[E.A. Poe]

::The beast slashed a massive claw at Daken, threatening to destroy him if it connected. Daken darted forward, rolling between its legs, slashing at the backs of them as he passed, only to find that his lightsaber did not penetrate deeply enough to injure it. Daken rose and turned, thrusting his lightsaber into the Terentatek's back before it could turn. The blow was a glancing one, and Daken had to think fast.
The Terentatek swung its left claw in a backhanded sweep as Daken deactivated his lightsaber and dove forward onto the monster's back. The behemoth began to shake and throw itself, trying to force Daken off. Grasping the spines on the creature's back, even as he was cut by them, Daken pulled himself over the crest of the beast's head, kicking off in a flip. He drew all of the concentration he had.
As he dropped down, Daken reactivated his lightsaber. The violet blade extended from the weapon that he had so carefully crafted so many years ago, piercing the Terentatek's eye. As Daken fell, he dragged his lightsaber down with him, pulling it through the cheek of the raging predator. A monstrous roar filled the cavern as the large Zabrak kicked off of the Terentatek's chest, rolling away as the partially blinded monster began to thrash wildly.
Daken dropped into his Soresu stance, but it felt very wrong. Soresu was the most patient of all forms, and it felt entirely out of place in this, the most threatening of situations. Daken held his lightsaber in front of him with his right hand, holding his left hand back as though poised to strike as he decided to press the attack. The beast finally regained its senses, and began to charge once more. It was time for round two.::

[E.A. Poe]

::The beast seemed to have decided that it was not such a good idea to try to power over Daken, and stopped its mad rush to rely on blows. It swung its massive claws at him, one from each direction. Daken, instead of stepping backwards as he was usually wont to do, felt agression and desperation take over again. He stepped forward.
Daken was now past the effective range of the Terentatek's attack, and in a flurry of motion, slashing at the beast's face and underarms. In an astounding turn of events, the monster began to fall back, retreating as it swung its claws in desperate defense. Daken ducked or deflected each blow, and began to advance, giving no quarter. The Terentatek was bleeding now, and its roaring shook the very walls of the cave.
The young Jedi capitalized on this, feeling the dark side's hold over him beginning to lessen. He had given himself to the moment, and to combat, channeling his anger and fear into the most effective motions of his life. As the Terentatek's mouth opened, Daken made eye contact, driving his lightsaber forward, meeting the rage in the beast's remaining eye.
The violet arc of energy that was Daken's lightsaber cut through the air, passing the teeth in the massive maw of the behemoth. It parted flesh, as every sinew in Daken's body drove it home. The beast was not instantly silent, but instead made a sound that was perhaps worse than all of its demonstrations of fury. The dying moan of the Terentatek would stay with Daken forever.
The monster that had perverted this cave fell over as Daken withdrew his lightsaber, making a muffled sound on the cave floor. Daken deactivated the blade, and fell to his rear on the floor in front of the beast that he had slain. The silence in the cave was stifling. Daken placed his favored blade back onto his belt.::

[Gamov]

"Sir, we have arrived in system as you instructed."

The young, female voice filtered to his ears and succeeded in interrupting the myriad of thoughts whirling through his confused mind. He sat in the plush leather chair behind his desk in his private quarters, his back turned to the door as he massaged his left temple with one hand, the other twirling a small vial of pills about between the black leather fingers on his gloves. His attention was focused almost exclusively on the vial in his right hand, his fingers working nimbly to twist the glass cylinder in awkward angles. As he stared at it, the small blue capsules within seemed to taunt him, mocking his disorder.

They had given him these things years ago, in an attempt to curb his "hallucinations", as they called them. Declaring him insane and unfit for duty, stripping him unceremoniously of his position and ousting him like a raving drunkard from a bar. There was no subtlety, no politeness or kindness in his dismissal. It was cold, brutal and ruthless, a harsh end for a man who had given nearly ten years of his life to the service of the Republic, and later Empire.

So why did he enjoy it so much? For the duration of the journey he had sequestered himself to his private cabin, leaving strict instructions to his liaison not to allow anyone to disturb him. His mind needed time to grapple with this unpleasantness and sort out the tangled web of deceit that seemed to cross his thoughts and obscure reason.

Finally reacting to the report, he pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled a frustrated breath. His mind was no closer now than it was an hour ago to finding the answers he so desperately sought. "Tatooine is in sight, then?" He inquired.

"Yes, sir. Shall I prepare a landing party?"

He took one last look at the vial of pills in his hand, regarding it with a distant, almost vacant stare, before his face contorted into a sneer of anger as he hurled the capsules against the wall in front of him, shattering the vial into pieces and scattering the pills on the floor. He spun in his chair to face his liaison. Resting his elbows on the desk and clasping his hands together, he answered. "Prepare my shuttle for insertion. I do not want a delay in our task here."

The young woman respectfully bowed. "As you wish, sir."

[E.A. Poe]

::The evil in the cave still swirled around Daken, but now converged upon him to find that he was in a meditative kneeling position. He was in a curious state of mind. He was a child of the light in this moment, of this he was sure, but the Dark-Side was within him now. It would not leave him, but he would not allow any more to enter him.
He had fought against his deepest darkness today and won, and now used his light to stave off the fear and anger of this place. Daken stood and activated his lightsaber. With precise motions Daken cut two of the teeth from mouth of the Terentatek and carried them with him from the crystal chamber, picking up his bag as he left and placing the teeth within it. In his trip through the dark halls, Daken felt the power of the Dark-Side diminishing. Eventually he stepped back out into the blazing sun of the Desert planet the Force had drawn him to.

[Gamov]

The tiny shuttle disembarked from the Victory II Destroyer, Tempest, as it made its approach to the remote Rim World of Tatooine, its distinctive dagger-like shape looming ominously in orbit above the arid planet. On board the transport was the ship's Captain and a small contingent of personal bodyguards for protection. His mission was clandestine, known only to himself and his most trusted adviser, Rain.

She had proven her worth to him during his years of prestige and glory in the Empire, her invaluable skills and ruthless demeanor as an officer made her an ideal choice for his command. He had selected her personally from amid the sea of cadets on Anaxes, finding her character to be the embodiment of everything the Empire stood for. While most of the junior officers at the time had trouble adapting their minds to accept the ideals of the new Empire, finding the indoctrination process to be somewhat distasteful, Rain was their exact opposite. Cold, calculating and, above all else, loyal to her cause, she had instantly impressed him with her prowess and cunning.

As they neared their destination, the shuttle trembled violently as it eventually entered the planet's atmosphere. After a few moments, the shuttle ceased its turbulent rumbling and everything was calm once more. The shuttle leveled out as it cleared through the atmosphere and vectored its course for the nearby spaceport settlement of Weld-Wedge, the pilot effortlessly guiding the craft on their final approach to the drop off site.

"We will be arriving in the spaceport within the minute, sir." Rain calmly informed her superior.

He didn't immediately reply, remaining seated in his place as he stared absently at the floor just in front of him, tapping out an irritated rhythm on the arm of his chair. He still wrestled inside his mind for an answer as to why he was brought here. But it was to no avail. Either he had forgotten, or his mind had repressed the memory for some reason or another. It was becoming something of a nagging annoyance to him.

Suddenly, the comm in the cockpit crackled as the spaceport's flight control tower hailed the incoming ship. "Imperial vessel, be advised, all inbound docking bays are currently closed. We recommend that you re-route your course. Do you copy?"

The transmission caught his attention. drawing it towards the pilot as Rain glanced over her shoulder at him from her position in the co-pilot's seat.

"Sir, what are your orders?" She asked plainly. It was not within her desire to care what the order was, so long as it made sense and the end ultimately justified the means.

He formulated an answer quickly, delivering it with conviction. "We will not deviate from our course. Land at the settlement."

"Sir.." Rain turned her attention back to the control console and instructed the pilot to continue course as planned.

"I repeat, do you cop...."

The control tower was abruptly cut off mid sentence as Rain disconnected them, their services no longer required in any fashion.

Approaching the spaceport, the pilot maneuvered the shuttle directly over an occupied hangar, its inhabitants, a group of refugees, awaiting transport to a nearby system. Their scanners detected the gathering below them and the pilot craned his head over his shoulder to ask his superior's advice. "Sir, this landing bay is occupied. What shall I do?"

The decision took no time to compute or register in his mind. It was simple. "Land." He calmly instructed.

Offering only a simple nod in return, the pilot complied, bringing the shuttle right down on top of the unsuspecting crowd.

As they made their decent, many of the people inside thought it was their transport having finally arrived to pick them up, causing them to calmly disperse to the sides of the hangar to patiently await being boarded. Of course, it never dawned on any of them that they were, in fact, horribly mistaken. This shuttle's intent was anything but friendly or docile.

Bringing the craft to rest on the hangar floor, its exhaust throwing a large plume of dust and dirt into the air around them, the pilot waited for Rain and the commander to make their way to the loading ramp before he opened the hatch with the simple flick of a switch on the overhead console.

The lines hissed as the ramp dropped slowly to the ground, expelling visible plumes of exhaust from vents as it fully extended.

The citizens, thinking their moment had come to leave Weld-Wedge, began clamoring towards the opening, only to be intercepted by Rain as she led a small contingent of armed soldiers from the crew compartment of the shuttle.

Surprised to see the people had not left, she offered them only one ultimatum. "All citizens must clear this hangar or face penalties." Her tone was harsh and suitably frightened several dozen of the civilians as the armor clad troopers formed up on either side of her, their guns aimed at the ready.

The huddled crowd was unsure what to make of things, worried murmurs traveling through their ranks as the Imperial soldiers faced them down at gun point. Some had already fled, but others stood their ground. The tension built moment after moment until a single man forced himself to the head of the crowd, attempting to dissolve what was almost certainly a misunderstanding.

"Please, we only want transport from here. We were told this bay would be cleared for us to do so. We mean you no harm. So, plea...."

The silence was shattered and his words cut off as a single blaster shot rang out.

The man stumbled backwards, a hand on his stomach, his eyes wide in shock as he looked down at this shaking hand, then back to the Imperial soldiers before collapsing to the ground in a lifeless heap.

Before the entire crowd, Rain held a blaster in her outstretched hand, her steely gaze scanning the rest of the group, terror and fear etched into their faces at the sight of the man's demise. "Anyone else who wishes to share in his fate, by all means, remain where you are." She said, a sadistic smirk formed on her lips.

Shuffling backwards, the crowd reacted in silence before rushing to the nearest exit, forcing themselves through in an unorganized panic, leaving their belongings behind in the hangar.

Holstering her pistol, Rain motioned the soldiers away from the shuttle as her commander made his way down the ramp. She turned to him and spoke, her voice giving no hint to the fact that she had just succeeded in killing an unarmed man. "The hangar is secure, sir. Shall I have our men secure the colony as well?"

Eying the dead man for only a second, he looked back to Rain. "No. Our mission here is very specific, we must keep all of our assets together for maximum efficiency."

"Yes, sir."

Brushing past her, he moved into the streets of the settlement with his soldiers at his back. His objective was clear to him, though he still had no idea why it needed to be so. Hopefully, in time, he would unravel this mystery.

[E.A. Poe]

::Daken realized that he had lost his head-scarf in the fray, so tore a piece off of the skirt of his robe to wrap around his neck, head, and face. He had sustained surprisingly little damage. He had cuts and bruises, but the creature had never scored a blow on him, as he had remained elusive.
Daken looked out over the sand towards Weld-wedge and decided to rest for a while before returning. He could not leave the underground tunnels just yet. They still called to him in unnatural ways. He held his inner storm close, surrounding it with his inherent goodness. He could never again let it make contact with the evil inside of the cave.
The large Zabrak took a seat at the edge of the cave, where the overhanging opening could shade him. He relaxed as much as he could for a while, but then felt a strange twinge from the direction of Weld-wedge. He began to grow curious.::

[Gamov]

The group moved through the streets of the small settlement, their path made easier as citizens hurried off to the sides of the main street, frightened by the mere sight of the heavily armed squad of armored soldiers, their apprehension and repulsion from the Imperials affording them a great deal of freedom as they picked their way through the town block by block. Their tactics were methodical and precise, no building went unchecked as Rain advanced well ahead of her commander and his bodyguard detail, searching and scouring every domicile and structure she and her small compliment of soldiers came across, pulling mortified civilians from their homes and businesses for questioning.

The commander admired her work from afar as Rain mercilessly asserted herself in every encounter, demanding the co-operation of the populace in no uncertain terms or conditions. Those who were foolish enough to stand against her iron will were treated to a brief physical lashing that, though quick, certainly appeared painful enough to make them think twice before entertaining thoughts of further insubordination. He couldn't help but allow for a sense of pride and satisfaction to well up in him. Watching her at work had always been a pleasure for him and continually reinforced his conviction that she was indeed the right choice for an assignment to his command.

Moving in on the last few buildings on the block, Rain motioned for the soldiers to spread out and expand their search, her gesture met with immediate compliance as the armored formation of soldiers broke up and began scanning the nearby buildings. Taking no part in the search, she clasped her hands behind her back and looked on as the troopers carried out their orders. Her attention was shortly interrupted and drawn elsewhere when her commander walked up on the scene.

"Well, have you located it yet?"

Turning to face him, she gave him an honest appraisal of the situation. "Not yet, sir. Perhaps we may have missed our target a ways back, or...." She trailed off slightly, beginning to regret the thought that had come to her mind now.

"Or what, Lieutenant?" He pried, drawing closer to her, his expression reflecting the realization in his own thoughts. Perhaps she was going to say what he suspected, but he wished she would just say it instead of treat the situation delicately.

Rain cleared her throat slightly, thinking of the best way to say this. It had occurred to her on several occasions prior to this one, but there was never any time to bring it up, nor was there ever a need to. Now could be different, though. He hadn't taken his meds in over a month, surely that was beginning to have adverse side-effects on his mental status. He had relied so heavily on them for lucidity before opting to stop treatment. She shifted uncomfortably, her posture suddenly more rigid than normal as her eyes darted nervously about her commander before the words suddenly formed and spilled forth from her. "Maybe you were wrong.... Sir."

She swallowed hard, choking on the words, wishing they had never been said.

He sighed slightly, his body language mirroring agreement as he nodded his head slowly. "I think I'm losing it, Lieutenant. These past few months have been hell. Half the time I barely remember my name, much less where we are or what we are doing." He looked to her, his eyes appearing more tired and drawn now, almost as if the act of simply facing the truth was causing him to become physically weaker.

Rain took a look at her commander, his appearance markedly altered for the worse.

Instead of a confident leader with conviction and poise, he looked depressed and filled with doubt. She began to feel a slight twinge of pity for him and started to hate herself for saying what had been said. She didn't want him to break down, far from it. If anything, she was hoping that facing the truth would force him to reconsider going back on his medications, though she would never openly suggest as much to him. It was a touchy subject that she learned a long time ago never to broach.

Though, privately, she wished he would continue his drug regiment. He was so much clearer then, with so much more fire and energy about him. He was able to deliver purpose and reason to any situation. Of course, he still battled his disorder, but the crew worked around that, rallying to him on their shared ideals. But now, things had changed. They had wandered, not quite so figuratively at times, off of their path. They lacked any form of direction in their course, being dragged into one random scenario after another. Somehow, though, Rain had managed to keep the crew together under his leadership. And, at times, she wondered if he realized that.

"If things don't work out here, if I turn out to be wrong.... I don't think the crew will tolerate it much longer." His voice contained a deep sense of self loathing. "If this goes wrong, the crew will mutiny. But before they go, just in case they go, that is, I'm passing off command of the Tempest to you. I know you'll treat it well, and the crew is already familiar with you."

Rain's demeanor hardened and her expression became cold, realizing that if they had any hope of succeeding, she had to snap him out of this manic state of depression. "Sir, the crew won't abandon you. I'll personally shoot anyone who does. The Tempest has only once Captain.... You. And it shall remain so."

The commander gave her a weak nod of agreement, reluctant though he was to accept that such was the case. He had been so confused and so lost over the past month, barely managing to recall the memories from last night, let alone two hours ago. Maybe his pills had been helping him, but he couldn't allow himself to become reliant on them. He had to face this demon on his own, without anti-psychotics. Only then could he hope to break it and control it.

There was an eerie calm between the Lieutenant and her commander before one of the soldiers raised an alert.

"Sir! I think I found it!" He reported, drawing a fair amount of attention from his superiors and fellow soldiers alike.

Rain and the commander instantly rushed to the trooper, as did about a dozen other soldiers.

"Let me see that." Rain sharply demanded, ripping the datapad from the trooper's hands and taking a look at it for herself. Her eyes lit up and a feint smile tugged at her lips as she scanned the name and numbers displayed on the screen. "Sir, this is the place." She said, handing the device over to the commander.

He took the datapad and investigated the claim for himself, a broad, twisted grin on his face as he read the same passage Rain had -

Gavin Kine: Domicile 4328, Merchant Quarter.

"This is the place." He jubilantly concurred. "Lieutenant, prepare our men for entry."

"Sir." She turned to the soldiers and began to issue stern orders for action as the commander kept reading that name over and over again, reciting it in his head.

"Finally, after all of these years. I have you. You can't hide from me now." He thought, looking forward to the confrontation with great elation.

"Sir, the men are in position and ready to go on your mark." Rain informed him.

Looking up from the datapad, his face now more stoic, his tone devoid of any hint of mercy or pity, he gave the order to storm the dwelling. "Do it."

[Gamov]

Rain gave her commander a nod before turning her attention back to the soldiers, relaying the order with a stern tone. "Sergeant!"

"Ma'am?"

"Get us in that building!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" He complied, summoning a pair of nearby troopers for the task. "Moore, Watts, make me a door! On the double troopers!"

"Sir, yes sir!!" The pair quickly sprung into action, making their way to the door, where Corporal Moore placed a small satchel on the ground and opened it, revealing a handful of small breaching charges that would be used to separate the door from its track.

Working quickly, the two applied the charges to each corner of the door, finishing up by placing one in the center and wiring the other charges to it. Setting the remote detonator, Moore and Watts fell back to a safe distance, shouting the alert to the others in the squad.

"Fire in the hole! Duck and cover!"

Anyone nearby the building quickly heeded the warning and bunkered down as Watts depressed the small red button on the detonator switch. Seconds later, a deafening explosion rocked the front of the building, a plume of dust and smoke momentarily obscuring the entrance as the unpleasant screeching and groaning sound of the heavy metal door being forced out of place echoed in the small couldesac.

Taking only a second or two to recover from the blast, the Sergeant ordered his men through the breach. "Go, go, go! Sweep and clear that building!"

The first two soldiers through the door moved swiftly about the first floor, clearing and securing the entrance on all sides before making their way deeper into the building, discovering an elderly man in a dimly lit bedroom at the back of the dwelling, his posture and stance shaken from the explosion as he coughed and wheezed from the floor in an attempt to gain his bearings. The blankets on the bed having been dragged off beneath him after he was startled awake by the explosion.

"Get up! Hands on your head! Do it now!!" One of the troopers demanded, his rifle trained directly on the old man's head, ready to use at a moments notice.

The old man tried to answer and comply with the stern commands of the Imperial trooper, but the dust stirred by the breach charges, coupled with the shock he was experiencing due to his rude awakening by the entrance of the strike team, was beginning to exacerbate his breathing problems, leaving him gasping for air in the midst of a coughing fit as more soldiers poured into his room and aimed the muzzles of their weapons at him, continually demanding his surrender. He reached a trembling hand for a nearby bottle of pills on his night stand, fumbling it about in his frail hands as he tried to operate the top to reach his medication.

"I said put your hands on your head!!" The trooper snapped, grabbing the man's wrist and forcing him to lose his grip on the bottle, letting it tumble to the floor. "One more time old man, and I swear I'll...." He began, clenching his teeth in frustration as he brought his gun to bear on the terrified elderly man, pressing the barrel ever closer to him as his finger began to squeeze gently on the trigger.

"Stand down Corporal!" The Sergeant barked as he entered the room, escorting the commander and Rain in behind him. "Secure that weapon now, soldier!"

Slowly removing his weapon from the old man and letting off the pressure on the trigger, the Corporal obliged and safed his weapon. "Yes, sir." He replied, albeit with subdued anger, eying the man with disgust before the Sergeant spoke again, drawing his attention away from the frightened old man.

"Everyone, disperse. Secure the second floor and tighten our perimeter around the building. No one gets in or out unless its the commander or the Lieutenant." The Sergeant continued, belting his orders out.

"Sir." The Corporal responded, brushing past his CO, the commander and Rain, leading the other soldiers out of the room in the process.

The Sergeant posted himself in the entrance to the back room as the commander and Rain moved forward into the dim space.

"Let's go. On your feet." Rain harshly prodded, tightly gripping the man's bicep and hauling him up from his knees to place him on the edge of his cot. "Look at me.... Look at me!" She demanded, forced to grab his jaw and turn his head, focusing his attention for him. "We have someone here who would like to speak with you." She said, before stepping off to the side and allowing the commander forward.

He stepped forward into the man's peripheral, kneeling down in front of him and picking up the bottle of pills at his feet. Calmly, he read the label on the side of the bottle before he opened it and dumped a pair of the white capsules into his gloved hand and offered them to the man. "Here, you will need these, I think." He said, before turning to the Sergeant. "Sergeant Prescott, we could use a glass of water."

Prescott nodded and dismissed himself to draw a glass of water from the tap in the kitchen while the man took the pills from the commander, his eyes still facing the ground as he fought to maintain consciousness amid the pain that was growing in his chest.

The Sergeant returned and handed the glass of water to the commander over his shoulder.

"Thank you, Sergeant." He politely said as he took the glass and handed it over the man in front of him on the bed.

Placing the pills in his mouth, the old man took the water from the commander and drank from the glass, swallowing the pills with a large helping of water before he brought his attention to the faces in the room before him.

He spoke, his voice shaky and raspy. "Who are y...." His eyes grew wide and his hand released its grasp on the glass, letting it fall to the floor and break apart, creating a puddle of water at his feet as the first face came into view. "Y.... You.... Janus........ Son." He finally managed.

Janus gave Gavin a lop sided smile. "Yes, father.... It is me. Your eyes do not deceive you." He said, standing as he spoke.

"But.... How?" Gavin struggled for words.

"Ah, a good question as always, father. You were always quite good at asking the tough questions." Janus said, pacing to his left and staring at a picture hanging on the wall. A feint glimmer of happiness overtook his expression as he reached out and plucked the photograph from the wall. "I remember this day.... Do you, father?" He asked, turning the picture to face him.

His father eyed the picture, recognizing it quite well. "Yes.... That was taken the day before you joined the Republic...." He answered, his brow furrowed as his mind was vexed by a multitude of questions. "Son, how did...."

Janus hurled the picture at the wall, shattering the glass and breaking the frame to pieces. "Don't you dare use that word again with me you miserable bastard!" He shouted, his gaze becoming fixed on Gavin as he approached him and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulling it up tightly in a balled fist. "I am not your son! No father would have ruined his child the way you did!" He spat, releasing Gavin's shirt, shoving him back in the process.

Gavin, suitably shocked by Janus' violent outburst, struggled to find words as he pushed himself to his feet. "Son.... Janus, we had no choice. You were becoming a threat to yourself. For the sake of your safety.... I had no other options."

Keeping his back turned to the man, Janus rebutted. "No, father, that was your option. From day one, it was your advice to send me to the mental hospitals." He spun on his heel suddenly, fury burning in his eyes as he spoke his next words. "YOU signed the damn documents that put me through that hell. Four years of my life, wasted in the confines of a mental ward on Kessel! While you did what, father? Came to visit your ailing child?" He shook his head furiously. "No, not you. While I was locked away from the public eye, well away from tarnishing your precious image, you were out conducting business as usual! Acting as if I had just vanished into thin air!"

"Son...."

"God damn it, I said don't use that word with me!! A father would have never allowed for his son to be turned into an experimental lab rat for those twisted doctors on Kessel! Day after day, night after night! It was one drug or sedative after another. I damn near forgot who I was." He paused for a moment, his features softening slightly. "But, I was lucky enough to have some on the outside who gave a shit about me." He said, turning to face Rain and Prescott at the entrance to the room. "Strange how my own soldiers treated me more like a son than my own father."

Gavin blanched under the acerbic words from his son. "Is that all you traveled here for!? To blast your way into my house to tell me how awful I was!?" He clenched his jaw and continued. "Well, fine! If that is all you care about, then leave! I know how awful I was, I live with it every day of my life. I only did what was necessary to protect you! But I see you are still to juvenile to see that! I guess the doctors were wrong to let you out."

Janus got a sadistic smirk on his face. "Oh, my poor naive father. The doctors did not let me out. They have me branded as... What was the term they used in my dossier again?" He asked himself rhetorically, before turning his attention back, "Ah yes, "dangerously unstable". I would still be there were it not for my Lieutenant who masterminded my escape, along side Prescott. I have them to thank for this opportunity."

His father's expression suddenly changed to one of horror and disbelief. "Janus, you didn't.... You wouldn't."

"Oh, I have, and I will, father." He said, drawing his blaster from its holster. "I'm afraid your time here is up." He held the muzzle of the blaster towards his father, "I suppose we'll meet in hell somewhere after I die. But, until that day.... Burn in hell, father."

He took aim with the blaster and fired a single round, its red bolt lighting up the dim space in a deep, crimson red as the shot tore through Gavin's chest and exited out his back, burning a hole in his cot as he collapsed to the floor in a motionless heap.

Holtering his pistol, Janus turned and gave his command. "Lieutenant, clear us out of here. Burn the building to the ground. Leave no trace of this man's pitiful existence."

Rain felt her heart skip a beat at the ruthless nature of her commander's actions. To just murder his father like that without so much as an inkling of pity or remorse. It was terrifying, but she did not wish to earn her commander's ire. "Yes, sir. Sergeant"

"Ma'am?"

"You heard the commander. Place charges. Level this structure and clear out."

Prescott nodded. "Yes, Ma'am." His response was one of compliance, but ultimately belied the true feelings he harbored within upon witnessing Janus' recent outbursts.

The Sergeant was just about to turn and head out the door when Corporal Moore intercepted him. "Sir, you might want to see this."

"What is it, Corporal?" Rain interjected, becoming slightly irritated with Moore's interruption.

"Well, its.... You just need to see for yourself." He said, leading them towards whatever it was that was causing such a fuss.

[Gamov]

Rain followed close behind the Corporal and Sergeant Prescott, led towards whatever disruption it was that the Moore felt warranted impeding their leaving this planet and completing their mission.

Corporal Moore led the pair towards a small room upstairs at the far end of a narrow hallway, hushed voices echoing down the corridor from the room as the group neared the open doorway.

“See, and that's the comlink. Lets me talk to the other guys in my squad....” One of the voices said, easily identifiable as belonging to Private Renz, his tone oddly conversational and calm.

“Like your leader?” A second voice curiously inquired, its decidedly softer pitch seeming to lend itself to a much younger being.

“Yes, like my leader.” Renz answered, flashing a wide smile as Corporal Moore entered the room at his back, Sergeant Prescott and Rain close behind him.

“Private....” Moore interrupted, calling him away from his conversation.

Renz, looking over his shoulder from his crouched position in front of a small bed lining the back wall of the room, shot a glance towards the three standing in the door before turning his attention back to the person in front of him. “I have to have it back now.” He politely said, reaching out a hand for his helmet.

The child held the over sized object in his small hands for a moment, turning it curiously in his grasp as he looked the helmet over for himself one last time, his eyes wide with amazement at the intricate workings of a piece of military grade equipment. Obediently, yet with a jubilant smile on his face, the interaction with the soldier having done a great deal to impress his young mind and leave it adrift in a sea of wonder, the boy handed Private Renz his helmet again.

Renz nodded as he received his helm once more. “Thank you.” He added, smiling kindly at the little boy before he stood and placed the helmet back over his head.

Rain caught her first glimpse of the child as Private Renz stepped off to the side of the bed.

He appeared to be no older than the age of ten, his miniature frame draped in what appeared to be a sleeping gown that was four sizes to large for his little body, hanging off of him in large folds and pleats, causing him to continually shift the clothing about to afford his hands a free range of motion from beneath the ruffled cloth. Hazel colored eyes scanned the group of people before him in his room, their innocent stare trying to decipher and work out the reason for their being in his home as his little fingers nimbly toyed with the hem of the gown, twisting it about anxiously as he waited for someone to say something to him again.

Apprehensively, Rain stepped forward towards the boy, taking great care to carry herself as a caring person who meant him no harm, affording him what she hoped was a comforting smile as she knelt down in front of him at the edge of his bed. She sifted through her mind, trying to find the proper words to use in order to speak with him, finding it difficult to cobble together a sentence that the child wouldn't understand or might become frightened by.

How would one go about explaining prior events to a child? She could tell him the truth; tell him that his father's crazy son had come back for revenge and had succeeded only minutes ago in murdering his father. And though she was never any good at dealing with children, she understood that to say as much was ludicrous and cruel.

She smiled awkwardly at the kid, her mind blank at what to say, when he suddenly spoke first, his tender voice inquiring a single, innocent question.

“Where's papa?”

Rain's demeanor suddenly changed. Inside she was mortified. There was no possible way to explain this to him without upsetting him. On the outside, though, she maintained her composure, retaining the expression of kindness and caring, even in light of the difficult question posed to her. If she was at a loss for words before, finding any to answer this query was impossible, she couldn't even think of a decent lie that might satisfy him for the time being. All she could manage to do was keep her outward appearance up and pray for an intervention or distraction of some kind, any kind. Just so long as it was something to draw attention away from this unpleasant question.

Prescott, noting Rain's struggling nature with the child, intervened, stepping forward and placing a hand on her shoulder. “Lieutenant, I think you are needed down stairs.”

Inwardly, Rain breathed a sigh of relief. The Sergeant had postponed her having to endure this tense situation any longer. And for that, she owed him her thanks. Taking her eyes off the boy, she stood to face the Sergeant, giving him a small nod of gratitude before setting out of the room and returning to the commander.

[Gamov]

Returning to the lower floor, Rain quickly made her way to the back room where Janus was. Upon entering the room, however, she found him standing in front of a full length vanity mirror on the inside of the closet door, admiring himself with a smirk of self-satisfaction as he adjusted the sleeves and cuffs on a dark black uniform, pulling them into position before he caught her reflection in the mirror.

Turning to face the Lieutenant, he spoke. “I think it fits rather nicely, don't you?” He asked, pulling a black leather glove over his hand and curling his fingers into a tight ball, stretching the leather with a feint squeaking sound. “It was time for a promotion anyway. Gone are the days of being a mere Lieutenant. Now I bear the insignia that I so rightfully deserve.” He added with a subdued chuckle as he adjusted the Captains pin on the left breast of the coat.

Taken aback by his new appearance and how calmly he was reacting to having just killed his father, Rain contemplated telling him about the child. It could complicate matters beyond words, and in this state of mind, there was no telling what his order would be. She swallowed uncomfortably as she answered him. “Yes, sir. It suits you well.” She answered.

“But....” Janus quickly interjected, clasping his hands behind his back as he took a few steps towards the Lieutenant.

Rain was initially silent as she struggled with the decision in her mind, reluctant to report on their finding of the child. If she told him, part of her suspected that he may well order them to execute the poor boy, just to spite his father. And, truthfully, her usual mannerisms and loyalty aside, she did not want any harm to come to the child. Equally, though, she was plainly aware of the obligation she had to report to him. It was not like they could hide such a discovery from him forever. He was suffering from multiple personalities, not being clinically retarded or dumb.

In an instant, hoping to curb the shock of the announcement by being as forward as possible, rather than allowing the tension to linger and build, she blurted out the words. “Sir, our team has located a child on the second floor.”

Janus' expression softened considerably, mirroring a sense of confusion as Rain delivered her report. “A child?” He stammered.

“Yes, sir.”

Kine's mind wrestled with the concept. Even here, in the depths of psychosis, the news struck him and left him stupefied. How could his father have had a second child? His mother died in child birth, and, from what he could recall of his father, there was little room for other women in his life while he was growing up. Perhaps the most likely scenario was an adoption of some sort, either legal or by circumstance.

“Sir....” Rain calmly interrupted, reading his confusion.

He looked to her, his mind unable to verbalize what he was thinking at the moment. The words eluded him. All he could manage was a confused, vacant stare.

“What are your orders, sir?” She finally asked, almost regretting herself for asking.

Janus' expression changed notably, going from confusion to an almost foreboding look of evil as his face twisted and distorted into an unpleasant smirk. “Bring him with us.” He calmly said, turning his attention back to his image in the mirror, nonchalantly adjusting the collar of his jacket.

Rain couldn't help but allow for an expression of shock to overcome her. It was certainly not what she had expected of him. Maybe her estimations of him were beginning to fail her. His mind had underwent many radical changes over the past few months. Maybe something had finally managed to cause a shift in him. But for better or worse, that had yet to be seen. Either way, she was suitably pleased with his orders. Working slightly to repress a mild outward expression of her happiness, she bit back a smile and retained her composure as she replied. “Yes, sir.”

She calmly bowed out of the room and returned to Prescott and his men on the second floor, finding them keeping the child entertained as best they could. They were trained soldiers after all, not babysitters.

“Sergeant, secure the child and prepare for extraction.”

“Ma'am?” He asked, turning to face her, his helmet managing to cover up the perplexity etched into his own face upon receiving his new orders.

“The Captain has ordered the child to be brought with us.”

“And what of our original orders?” He inquired.

“They stand.” Rain calmly informed him, taking great care not to mention them in front of the boy.

Prescott nodded. “Yes, Ma'am.” He obediently replied before turning to Renz. “Private, prep the boy for extraction. Gather any necessary supplies from his room and escort him outside.”

Renz, who had been showing the child more of his gear, looked to the Sergeant and nodded before placing his helmet back over his head and turning to the boy. “Do you like ships?” He asked, trying to maintain the upbeat nature of the boy's character.

His eyes practically lit up like lights when he heard that word.... “ship”. “Yeah!” He enthusiastically answered.

Renz nodded, letting a brief smile tug at the corner of his mouth beneath his helm. “Alright then, gather your things and come with me. I'll take you to show the ship I came in on.”

The boy's demeanor changed suddenly, his jubilant expression melting away into one of worry. “What about papa?” He asked.

Renz, thinking quickly, concocted a suitable lie in his mind that he hoped would tide the boy over until a more appropriate time could be found to tell him the truth. “Your father is coming along on another ship. But don't worry, he'll be with you shortly. My leader just needs to talk with him for a bit about something.” He said, knowing full well in the back of his mind that there was never such a thing as a “more appropriate time” for telling him what would eventually need to be said.

The boy nodded, albeit with great reluctance, and hopped down off the edge of his bed to set about gathering his things, some clothes, a small backpack filled with a random assortment of toys and other miscellaneous items that held some kind of sentimental value to him, returning to Renz.

Renz made sure he had everything he needed, considering that this would be the last time the child would see his home. Part of him detested having to do this, it seemed unfair. But his orders stood as they were, and he did not dare to cross the Captain or the Lieutenant. Placing a gentle hand on the boy's back, he asked him if he had everything he thought he would need. “Is that all you want?”

The boy nodded confidently.

“Alright then, here we go.” Renz answered, applying slight pressure with his hand, motioning the boy forward and escorting him out of his room to the front door of the house, taking great care to shield his young eyes from the sight in his father's room as they passed it on their way out, stealing only a slight glance for himself as they passed, noting the Captain in a new black linen uniform as he went about searching the room for something.

[Gamov]

Janus anxiously searched his father's room for something, leaving no space unchecked or unturned. He pulled dresser drawers from their place and emptied the contents carelessly on the floor, sifting through them in haste before turning his attention to a small box on the end stand, unlatching it and spilling it out onto the table.

"Come on god damned you! Where are you?" He asked, frustrated as he picked through the miscellaneous pile of items, the elusiveness of what he ws truly looking for beginning to irritate him a great deal.

Rain stepped around the corner and into the room, glancing around the room and the mess that her Commander had made in his frantic search for something. Apparently, something of great importance to him, as she heard him curse aloud upon entering. "Sir?" She calmly interrupted.

Janus spun around, his eyes mirroring agitation. "What?!" He sterly barked.

Rain was caught somewhat off guard by his fiery words, pausing for a moment in the face of his growing anger before she spoke again. "Prescott has informed me that his men have complete their task. We are ready and able to carry out your orders whenever you wish."

Janus' expression softened slightly, his mind comprehending how harshly he had responded to the Lieutenant, giving rise to a measure of regret within him for reacting so sternly. Calmly, he nodded his head. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I just need a moment or two more and then we can leave this place." He said, turning back to his search.

Rain stepped forward through the mess of papers and clothing strewn across the floor. "What are you looking for, sir?"

Flipping through a small stack of papers and cards, weeding out the useless garbage and tossing them off to the side before scanning the next document in line, Janus ignored her at first, his eyes eagerly reading over every line in the papers in his hands before he finally replied. Crumpling a piece of paper up in his gloved hand and discarding it to the floor, he answered her. "My father was not a poor man. Somewhere, at some time, he invested his finances in a trader market and made a small fortune for himself." He said plainly.

Rain was somewhat confused, raising an eyebrow as she heard the Commander speak of some kind of hidden wealth he assumed his father to have. "With all due respects, sir, if your father was rich at one point, he must have lost it all. I would not expect a man with money to retire to a planet such as this.... Especially not a man such as your father." Her last words were delivered with great reservation.

She had known of Janus' father, his position as a recruiter and drill instructor for the Imperial Navy having been the catalyst for a prior introduction to him years earlier, and had come to gather a fair deal of respect for the man and his methods. She knew some of the history between him and his son, mostly reiterated to her by Janus in his lucid moments of clarity, but could not really bring herself to hate Gavin in the same way Janus did. For her, Gavin was a mentor, an idol of sorts. Someone she aspired to and took from him a great deal of inspiration. Though this dispute was between father and son, she certainly did not think Gavin deserved murder for his actions. But she kept such thoughts to herself.

Janus almost entirely glazed over the comment, offering only a slight huff in response as he continued to thumb through stacks of papers and folders before he answered. "Yes, well, my father was a devious man. He would have done anything to hide himself or his wealth from me."

Rain had no response to offer, leaving the conversation as it was as she turned her attention to a small pile of papers on the floor, picking them up and scanning them for herself, looking for any proof that this fortune of which Janus spoke was actually real or a figment of his delusional mind.

"Ha!! I've got you!!" Janus suddenly exclaimed, his eyes bright with elation as he picked up a pair of documents from the floor near the bed. Turning the papers over in his grasp, he read the headers and title. They were indeed what he was looking for, but, scribbled in the top right corner of the first deed was a name:

Lira San

Perplexed, Janus tried to recall any woman named "Lira" that his father may have associated with in his life time. But, try as he might, nothing came forward for him to answer the question. It was a blank in his mind, another gap in his past that he had to attempt to fill with answers for himself. Folding the paper neatly in half, he placed it inside the left breast pocket of his coat and turned his attention to Rain.

"Lieutenant, you may proceed as planned. We are done here." He stated, walking past her and out of the room, his stride more purposeful now, his mind filled with a sense of pride. Pride that he had finally managed to catch up with his traitorous father and pay him back for all the years of misery he had caused. And pride that he had restored his image, both to himself and his men. He had been correct in his estimations here today, and his certitude now gave him a purpose once more.